Fourteen Days
by luv addict
Summary: AU. Accidents happen, that is why people fall in love...
1. First

**Okay, so this story took me a while to write (I am still working on the next chapter for _Journey to Serendipity_). But, just to let you guys know, this story will be updated every single day.**

**This fic was actually inspired by Bisco Hatori's "Romantic Egoist" that can be found in _Ouran High School Host Club_, Volume 2.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle.**

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**Fourteen Days**

**by luv addict**

**First**

**In Which There Is An Accident**

**"_I want you to want me  
I need you to need me  
I'd love you to love me  
I'm begging you to beg me..."  
—Letters to Cleo, "I Want You to Want Me (Cheap Trick cover)"_**

"So," the twins Macku and Kotu Windsnap said in perfect unison, "you like Thok Booker? Why not make your move? He _is_ alone."

I jumped away from them and the bookshelf that I had been hiding behind. See I kind of had this crush of Thok Booker, this super hot senior that any girl would just die to date. Every day, after school, I would watch him read from behind a bookshelf, hoping to gather the courage I needed to talk to him.

I wanted to snap at the twins for startling me, but then again it was their nature to startle innocent folk like myself. They were odd, even for the odd. They never went anywhere without the other, took the same classes, and got the same scores on their quizzes.

I tended to shy away from them at all possible costs. Bad things were said to happen if they talked to you. And it normally stayed that way. They were usually in their own little world, away from everyone else. Everybody was happy with that.

But there were the few rare— and I mean _rare_— occasions in which they would talk to someone. Unfortunately, that someone ended up in the hospital because of an... "experiment," as they called it. They never got in trouble for those "experiments." You see, their dad is a rich and powerful man who donates a _lot_ of money to the school. The same thing with their mother, who is said to be locked away in a psychiatric ward somewhere in Sweden.

Now, I have never met either of their parents, but I knew the rumors just as well as anyone in our class, seeing as we had gone to school together since pre-school.

My personal relationship with the twins is a fine line between friends and enemies. In pre-school, I had attempted to befriend them. And, for a while, they accepted me into their little circle.

Then Shasa came.

The twins and Shasa have never liked each other. So one could picture what it was like when Shasa wanted me in her private group of friends, all of whom were the prettiest and most popular group around.

Being the vain, little girl I was, I joined Shasa and left the twins out to dry.

So, you can only imagine my thoughts when I knew it was them behind me in the library, teasing me about the crush I have had since pre-school.

Oh, God, were they going to tell Thok that I like him? Were they going to make me participate in one of their "experiments?" Were they going to blackmail me?

"You have been watching him _forever_, Loubalu." Macku said, her single ponytail swaying as she shifted her weight to her other foot.

"Unrequited love!" Kotu cried, her twin ponytails twisted into Suzy-Q's, something she had done only recently, bounced as she posed dramatically with a sigh. "Oh, I wish I had feelings for someone like you do."

I blinked. So... they _weren't_ blackmailing me?

"Come with us." the chorused, looping their arms with mine. They tugged me along like that. "We have something that might be of interest to you."

So, they _were_ blackmailing me!

They lead me through the school to on of the Chemistry Labs. It looked like any other Chemistry Lab; high tables with beakers and sinks, chairs that spun all the way around, a couldron over all of the burners... Wait, what?

Oh, God! I was going to participate in one of their experiments!

They lead me over to one of the chairs and gestured for me to sit down, which I did obediently and nervously. They, themselves, moved over to the couldron and plopped something in. The object had looked round and shiny.

"You are _so_ lucky." Kotu said.

"Having someone like Thok Booker to be so fond of." Macku sighed.

"Such a dream."

"Anyway. As we said, we have something that may or may not be of interest to you."

"A potion." Kotu said enthusiastically.

"A _love_ potion." Macku corrected.

"An it is just about done."

Kotu peered over the top of the couldron. Macku took out a small, metal bottle and Kotu carefully ladled the liquid— which was an odd green color— into it.

I had heard the rumors that the twins had recently found out that they were decendents of witches. From their mother's side, of course. But, like anyone else, just thought that that was it, just rumors. Apparently, the twins were indeed decendents of ancient witches and were giving me a love potion. (To fall in more in love with Thok?)

"Make him drink all of this." Macku said, twisting the top on. She handed me the bottle and ushered me out of the door. "You can tell us all about it tomorrow."

The door slammed on my face, bumbing my nose rather harshly, before I could say a word. As I rubbed my nose vigerously to help easy the pain and make sure it was not broken, I eyed the bottle.

It was rather pretty. The base and top were wide and a brassy hue. There were small gems (I am sure they were fake) encrusted quite deliberately through the weaving of the leaf and steam-like metal. The bottle itself that contained the potion was a burgandy color and frosted metal. A opaque pearl-like stone sat at the top of the twist-on cap. The whole thing fit into the palm of my hand.

Surely the twins did not mean for Thok to drink from this pretty bottle?

Frowning, I made my way to the cafeteria and the teacher's lounge. I always thought that it was ironic that the only place teacher's could relax from their chaotic students was ajoined to the most chaotic room in the school.

After school hours, the cafeteria was empty and was being cleaned. The only people in their were the custodians, who hardly spoke any English. With the language barrier standing between me and getting a cup, I had to use various hand gestures to explain what I wanted. Eventually, one of the custodians who spoke a little English asked me what I wanted and I told her. She gave me a simple Dixie cup and shooed me out. I was interrupting their working time and they had a lot of work yet to do.

By the time I returned to the library, Thok was almost done with his book. I quickly poured the liquid (which was a light green color and scentless) in the bottle to the cup. I stood, ready to give him the liquid.

I hesitated and bit my lip.

He already had a drink, a hot chocolate that was probably cold now. He probably wouldn't want this if he wanted something sweet.

"Hey, Loubablu, you going to drink that?" I heard someone say.

The next thing I knew, the cup was out of my hands and the person was drinking it. It was not just anyone drinking it. No, of all people it had to be the school's rebel, the one who _always_ got in trouble. The one person in my class I could not, for the life of me stand for more than thirty seconds.

I opened my mouth to snap at him, but all that came out was a weak croak. My chances with Thok were ruined. And it was all because of Tahu Veres.

My face heated up and I was about to screech at him for doing something so stupid and moronic as drinking the love potion the Windsnap twins made especially for me to give to Thok, but he interrupted with a question that left me stumbling on my words.

"Gali," he said, taking the cup away from his mouth, "do you want to go out with me?"

I felt my mouth open and close. I must have stood there, looking as stupid as I felt because he spoke again.

"Promise me you will think about it?" he asked, his pink eyes so wide and puppy-like I could only nod my head.

"I will." I heard myself say. "I will give you my answer tomorrow. I will think about it tonight."

Dear Lord above, have mercy on me. I sounded stupid.

I turned and walked away, not waiting for him to answer. Right now, my only thought was of reaching Macku and Kotu and getting their help.

The second I was out of the library, I ran. I ran as fast as my non-althletic legs would carry me. Before I knew it, I was opening the Chemistry lab door. I frowned the second I saw it was empty. Macku and Kotu were, along with their couldron.

I cursed quite loudly, startling a custodian who was waiting for me to move out of the way so she could clean this particular room.

I would just have to wait until tomorrow to tell them.

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**Gali may seem a tad out of character, but then again that is why this is fanfiction and not the actual thing.**

**Gali strongly dislikes Tahu. She does not hate him, just strongly dislikes. I wonder what happened. Maybe it has to do with them being in two different cliques that, in general, do not get along. I mean, Gali is with the popular girls we all hate and wish we were a part of (somewhere deep inside, that is). And Tahu is an outcast, the group most of us were probably in. Though, some of us may have been in the nuetral group.**

**Ah well, the next chapter will be up tomorrow, so check back in. And, do not forget to tell me what you think via review. It always makes me happy to hear what you have to say. :D**


	2. Second

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So, a secret about someone is revealed in this chapter. Hm, wonder what the secret is and why they are hiding it.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle**

**Fourteen Days**

**by luv addict **

**Second**

**In Which A Secret Is Revealed **

"_**He said take my hand  
Live while you can  
Don't you see your dreams lie  
Right in the palm of your hand..."  
—Vanessa Carlton, "Ordinary Day" **_

Yeah... So, Macku and Kotu were not in the least bit happy at my news. Their still frowns made me sink lower into the spin-y chair and made me wish I had never been born. I had found them in the Chemistry Lab after school, waiting to hear what they had hoped to be happy news. When I had told them that it had been Tahu, not Thok, who had drunk the potion for me... Well, let us just say I have never seen anyone more furious.

"It was an accident!" I pleaded, gripping the plastic of the chair beneath me. My knuckles were white.

"Looks like this is a plan gone awry, Kotu." Macku sighed to her sister.

"Oh, dear, and we took all that time to make the potion for her, too." Kotu pouted.

"Could you please make me another potion?" I asked cautiously.

"Sorry," they said together, "but no."

"It only lasts two week." Kotu said. "You only have thirteen days left." Great, thirteen wonderful days to have Tahu pine after me and try to woo me. Perfect. That would make Shasa cackle, like she had at lunch today when she saw Tahu making puppy-eyes at me. Which, by the way, was horribly embarrassing and quite disturbing.

"It will not be that bad." Macku said.

"You could go out with Tahu." Kotu said, smirking a little.

"What?!" I heard myself shriek.

"He is not a bad catch." Macku said.

"Average grades, though." Kotu reminded.

"He wears Hot Topic clothes— and those are not the cheapest around, mind you."

"Kind of cute, in a rugged way."

"He has been to several different countries."

"He likes to try new food and eat. And we know how much you love to cook."

"He loves music, it is his one passion." Macku sighed.

"Although, he cannot dance to save his life."

"Kotu!"

"It is true! You saw him at the prom last year, just like everyone else." Kotu said, fighting back on her behalf.

I could not make it to the prom last year, but Shasa and the girls had told me all about it. Apparently, Tahu and his friends had decided to crash the prom, danced the night away, and had gotten away with it until the crowning of the King and Queen.

"Anyway," Macku said, "he is the manager of a local band and he play the piano."

"His father works. A lot." Kotu said, twirling a curly lock on her finger.

"His mother died in a car crash when he was six, leaving him to take care of his younger brother."

"He has an iPhone."

"He likes Cherry Coke. Just found that out at lunch."

Okay, either Tahu told them his life story, or they were stalkers. I would not doubt the latter.

"As Kotu said, he is not a bad catch." Macku said, swatting her sister's hand away from playing with her hair.

"You could at least give him a shot." Kotu said, smirking deviously. "Have some fun."

"Sorry," I said, "but unfortunately, I li—"

The door slammed open and Tahu burst in, grinning like a fool when he saw me. I inwardly groaned.

"There you are!" he cried, obviously happy to see me. "Have you thought about it yet?"

"Yes." Kotu said.

"She has." Macku agreed.

I dug my nails into the plastic on the chair, hoping to break them. But, hey, after a few million acrylic nails and BAM! your nails are stronger than a diamond.

"She can hold back no longer!"

"Her answer is—"

"Come on!" I growled, grabbing his wrist and pulling him out of the lab. "I need to go to the library."

Tahu let me pull him along. We both kept silent until I let go of his wrist (which I noticed were red from my incredibly strong grip).

"Sorry about them... and that." I gestured to his wrist, drawing attention to it. The floor was way more interesting that it first seemed.

"It is fine." he said, leading me to the library, yet somehow following me like a lost puppy. "They creep me out, too. Hey, do you have any idea on how to tell them apart?"

**

* * *

I walked to the back corner, more out of habit than anything else. Tahu trailed after, eyeing the books with fascination.**

"Wow..." he breathed. "There are so many books! I mean, yeah I was here yesterday, but I never really looked!" He turned his attention to me. "Do you come here often?"

"Huh?" I blinked. "Oh, yeah. I really like books. I read a lot during class."

"I think I saw you with one or two once. What are they like?"

"What do you mean, 'what are they lie?' Have you ever read a book before.

He blushed and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. Something tells me that he has not.

"How did you pass all of those book reports sophomore year?"

"Wikipedia." he said, staring at the spot where my shoes met the carpet. He would be the type of guy to cheat on something as simple as a book report.

"Ah." I said, turning me attention to the bookshelf.

"You know," he said, flipping through a random book he had plucked from a high shelf, "you are like a closed book. You are quiet and reserved, even for someone who is an infielder." I winced. I hated being call that.

Infielders were the popular students and outfielders were, well, not popular.

"You are hard to read." Tahu continued. "Your cover is closed. All I know is the little excerpt on the back. Gali, I want to know the whole story. You are different from all of the other girls you hang out with. You are... nicer, kinder. I want to know this you that you hide away from everyone, even the fake people you call your friends."

"Hey!"

"What? It is true."

I tried not to laugh, but the smile showed and he knew that he had made me giggle... even if it was quiet.

Funny how one conversation can change your point of view of someone.

**

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**

"You know," Tahu said as we walked to the CD shop where he worked, "I never did get a straight answer from you."

"I know." I said, fidgeting with my backpack's strap. I need to re-sew it. Again.

"So will you?"

"Will I, what?"

"Will you go out with me?"

Now understand this, Tahu is not the first (and hopefully not the last) guy to ask me. I have sated several guys before. Most of the guys in our class have asked me, after they were rejected by Shasa. According to them, I am second best. Over my high school life, I had become a master of rejection.

Tahu, though, was a special case, seeing as how he was under the influence of a love potion. There was no telling at what he might do if I did end up rejecting him. After you have read a bazillion and one love stories about people under loves spells, you begin to wonder what _would_ have happened if they had been rejected.

"I think we should be friends first." I said, wincing internally. "Build trust and stuff like that. Macku and Kotu only told me a little bit about you. Kind of stalker-ish, if you ask me."

"Look who is talking." he snorted. "No, they really do have files on everyone at school. Trust me, they know _everyone_'s biggest secret."

"So, you are okay with just being friends first?"

"Yeah, it is a smart move. We do not really know each other."

He smiled down at me and I found myself smiling back.

We arrived to his after school job with no trouble. We had not run into or seen anyone from any of our classes. We both had a reputation to keep up.

We had talked about our futures. College, jobs, family, kids. The whole shebang.

"I have never heard of Berklee." I said as he opened the door for me. "I mean, I have heard of Berkley out in California, but not Berklee in Boston. So, why a music teacher?"

"Why an English teacher?" he asked.

"Touché."

"I love music. Berklee is nice and I have already been accepted."

I frowned as I walked in. Mr. Procrastination was already accepted and I had yet to apply!

"So, why an English teacher?" he asked.

"Um... I am good at English."

"Why not a journalist or something? I think you would make a great theatre teacher. Well, minus the height thing, but Kristen Chenoweth is not even five foot and she is one of the most renowned actresses in the world."

"Who?"

"Glinda from 'Wicked.' You seen 'Wicked?' Please tell me you have!"

"No, sorry, but I have heard it was good." I said. We were blocking the doorway, but there seemed to be no customers.

"If you two are done." a man with a Mohawk called from the counter, drawing our attention away from each other. He set his _Rolling Stones_ issue down. "Tahu, Chevelle poster in the back for you. Signed and everything. You better treasure it. I had to pass half my ass and more to get it."

"Thanks." Tahu said, heading off to a doorway behind the counter. To me he said, "Be right back."

I just stood there looking around.

Some alternative band was playing at a surprisingly decent level through the store. Framed posters hung on the walls, all signed, like badges of honor. All of them from bands I have never heard of. The CDs were categorized by genre and then by author. They were places neatly in rows, separated by long pieces of plywood in between. The tables they were on did not look sturdy. Underneath the tables were milk crates full of records.

I made a mental not to ask Tahu if they had any ACDC records. My dad's birthday was coming up.

I turned my attention back to studying the store. Off in the far corner was a winding staircase that led up to, God-knows-where, a canopy-like space. I cursed my height for not being able to see past the black painted railing.

"So, you are Tahu's girl." the Mohawk guy said, turning his attention to me. He dark eyes scanned me quickly. I repressed a shudder as he called out to Tahu, "Not bad, kid. Not bad." He smiled, this time quite sincere. "He is a good kid, so do not go and break his heart."

"Has he.. has he had his heart broken before?" I asked, pressing.

"Yeah, freshman year. He really like this girl— can not for the life of me remember her name— and he decided o ask her to the Winter Formal. When he finally did get the guts to ask her out, she completely rejected him. She told him that she had a date, but it turned out that she just wanted to hang with her girls that night.

"So, for a week after that, he locked himself up in his room and would not leave. He would only listen to Family Force 5. It was _depressing_, seeing him like that."

"Shut up!" Tahu said, coming out of the backroom with a long tube and a plastic bag of things. He grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of the store. Eventually, he let go and said, "Ignore him and everything he says. He is an ass."

I nodded.

So, Tahu had his heart broken before. Maybe that was the reason he wanted to get to really know me before we went out on an actual date.

Wait a minute, was I actually _hoping_ we went on a date? God, something must be wrong with me. I must be coming down with the flu.

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**Awe, so Tahu had his heart broken, and Macku and Kotu are stalkers. I never knew they were creepers until I wrote this. Funny what happens when you start to write about people.**

**By the way, Chevelle is a great rock band for those of you who have never heard of them. My cousin introduced my to them back in '05.**

**So, is anyone wondering about the girl who rejected Tahu? I am. I wonder who it could be...**


	3. Third

**My computer is acting up and it is ticking me off Ah well, the only thing that I can do is start a virus scan.**

**Anyway, my grandpa wants to take us kids fishing. So I will be doing that after I post Saturday's chapter. I have not been fishing in over ten years. It will be fun... I hope. Crap, I have to get a fishing license. Well, I guess that is what I will be doing the rest of the day.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle.**

**Fourteen Days**

**by luv addict**

**Third **

**In Which An Infielder Joins The Outfielders**

"_**So if you're gonna spend time  
Spend it upon me  
Spend it up on me  
Just give me your time  
Don't take it from me..."  
—Ben's Brother, "Time"**_

I never really saw Tahu through the day, mainly due to my friends wanting to hang out. They liked to hog my time. Especially Shasa. I was her right hand. I got a say in what we did and everything we got. I would almost consider her to be my best friend, but we argued too much. Hahli or Nixie were closer. Though between the, I could not choose who I liked more, they were both too quiet.

I stuck with Shasa because we knew each other's deepest, darkest secrets, ones she did not even tell Kai, her satellite. So, I was not in the least bit surprised when she asked me, flat out during lunch at the food court in the mall, "Is there something going on between you and Veres?"

I simply blinked up at her blankly.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Gali Loubalu," she said, "I have known you since pre-school, do _not_ lie or hide anything from me. Now, is there something going on between you and Veres?"

The other girls pressed closer as they continued to eat their pizza. We were brave girls, not afraid of our choices in food. Guys dug that about us. We were daring and willing to keep away from only eating salads. _And_ we ate the pizza with our hands and we did not dab the grease off. It meant that the cheese was fresh. Oh yeah, we are rebels.

"No." I straight out said. "Why do you ask?"

"A little bird told me that he saw you two leaving school grounds together yesterday. Mind explaining."

I winced.

'A little bird' was our code for my cousin-by-marriage, Lewa. He was like this ninja who was able to find out all of our deepest secrets by squatting on a branch in a tree. I mean he literally did that.

"Yes, Tahu and I left school grounds together." I admitted. "But there is nothing going on between us, I promise. He was just curious, is all."

"Curious about what?" Kai asked, wrinkling her nose, an unattractive thing she did whenever she was trying to figure something out. "If you were single? Please, Gali, everyone knows that is Shasa is not dating, we do not date. So why would he be curious? Unless... did he ask you to the Halloween Masquerade? Oh, God, Gali! Please tell me you did not say yes!"

"He did not ask her to the Masquerade, Kai." Shasa said. "So what was he curious about?"

"Stuff." I said, filling my mouth with a French fry.

"What kind of stuff?" Shasa frowned, almost glaring now.

"Physics."

"Why would he be interested in the most complicated class our school has to offer? Unless, he is more interested in the chemistry between you two."

"First off, Physics in _not_ the most complicated class in the school. That would be English 10 with Denofrio, which I passed with an A, thank you." I said. "Secondly, since when are Physics and Chemistry the same class? Kai, I think you need to lay off the iced tea for a little while. I think it is giving you a brain freeze."

I moved my hand to take the iced tea from her, but she quickly grabbed it and drank as much of it as she could, eyeing me as if I was about to kill her baby.

"So, why was he interested in Physics?" Nixie asked, nibbling on a slice of cheese pizza.

"He said he might want to take it when he goes to Berklee." I said.

"You know where he is going to college?" Hahli squeaked in her soft voice.

"We just happened to talk about it. It was completely harmless banter."

"Only a few groups are allowed to talk about college." Shasa said, frowning. "Friends, students and teachers, and official couples. Now, I know neither one of you in a teacher, and since we _know_ you two are not together, are you two secret friends?"

"I hope not." I lied. I really did hope we were friends. "IT just kind of came up. I told him that I wanted to be an English teacher and he told me that he wanted to be a music teacher, or a music producer if he could."

"Burkley is not the school you would go to if you wanted to major in music."

"No, Berklee. B-E-R-K-L-E-E. As in, Boston?"

"Why would anyone want to leave L.A.?" Kai asked. I shrugged.

"Whatever." Shasa said, obviously bored of the conversation now. She hates talking about colleges, mainly because every college she applies for reject her. "Just make sure you do not spend a whole lot of time with him. I do not approve of him or his crowd. They are outfielders and outfielders are as low as anyone could get."

"Lewa hangs out with outfielders and he is still and infielder. So do Kopaka and Pohatu." Hahli said quietly from her spot next to me.

"Lewa and Pohatu are our top athletes in the school, along with Onua." Shasa reminded. "And Kopaka is a dreamboat. It does not matter who _they_ talk to, they will still be popular. Now, Gali, on the other hand, if she hangs out with outfielders, she will be a flawed diamond in the rough, like she once was." She turned to me, almost threatening. "Remember that."

"You would not rid of me, Shasa." I said, a tad bit cocky for my own good. "I know what you did— what you still do— for that B in Sociology."

She frowned. The other girls looked at one another and pressed.

"What?" Kai asked. "What do you do, Shasa? Oh please tell me you do not do... that. Oh, Shasa! Do not let it be true!"

One secret amongst us now spilled, I was slowly drifting away from the infielders and it was plain to see. Just four more secrets and I was out.

**

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**

"Did you wait long?" Tahu asked, catching his breath from his jog to me.

"No." I said, shaking my head. "Maybe five minutes."

I had messaged him via MySpace on my phone. I had told him that I wanted to hang out and that I had ditched the girls to do so. After my revealing of one of Shasa's biggest secrets, she was not so willing to let me go. But I had told her I would be at home, doing my homework like the good little doll I was.

Tahu could not believe the story and laughed. I even told him about Shasa and how she has been keeping her B in Sociology

"You can not, for the life of you, tell anyone." I said, threateningly. "The girls just found out today and if it leaks out into the public's view, well there will be Hell to pay. I might not live long enough for the Halloween Masquerade."

"I promise on my _life_ that I will keep this a secret. Though if my brother finds out when I am asleep, as I tend to talk in my sleep, then it is not my fault. All blame will be on you."

"I can always threaten your brother's manhood."

"Better yet, you can tell him that if he does not speak a word of this secret, then he will loose his virginity."

"Not through me, he will not!"

"Keeping your's for someone special?" he asked. I noted the redness in his cheeks.

"Yeah." I admited. "I am waiting for my Prince Charming."

He smiled. It was a small, sincere smile. Hopeful and understanding.

"I wish I had waited for someone." he sighed.

"Excuse me?" I gasped, surprised. Were we _really_ having the conversation? God, I think I might really _have_ the flu.

"I got drunk at a party a few years ago. Apparently this girl was drunk and wanted to... well, you know. And it just sort of happened. I do not really know what happened that night, but I remember that I had feelings for her afterwards."

"The girl that rejected you freshman year?"

He hesitated and finally said, "Yeah."

I did not really know what to say. I felt terrible and sympathetic. I could only imagine what Tahu was going through then.

I lightly touched his arm, which was rather firm and hidden beneath a large hooded sweatshirt he had on. I was slightly startled by how hard his arm muscles were and, at the same time, I was intrigued. What did he do that he had such solid muscles? I knew it was not from lifting boxes of CDs.

I did not press though, as we had reached the park that we would be hanging out with his friends in.

"They might not exactly warm up to you right away." he warned as we made our way over to them.

"I will just have to use my charm and wit." I said confidently.

"You do realize it would be easier to fight a shark than to get Kailani to like you, right?"

"I will just have to try."

Lewa and Pohatu greeted me warmly, as I often talked to them in my classes. They tried to hang out with everyone, gaining the encouragement of every person to support the teams they were on. They were the most liked infielders in our high school.

The rest were not as hospitable.

"What is _she_ doing here?" one of the girls asked. Her skin was dark, the opposite shade of mine which was as white as bleached sheets, and her dark hair was twisted into numorous braids. Her large pout-y lips were set into a scowl.

"She is my relative-cousin." Lewa said defensively in his odd language.

"She is not like other infielders." Tahu said.

"She is one of Shasa's." the girl replied.

"Just because I know Shasa better than most," I said, "does not mean I am like her. It just mean I am a pretty accesory to make her look even better."

She looked at me so fiercely, I literally took a step back. I quickly regained my composure.

"I am sorry, but I do not think that we have properly met." I said, holding out my hand. "My name is Gali."

She looked at my hand and then at my face. I smiled, trying to seem as sincere as possible. After a minute or two, she shook my hand.

"Girlie-girl," she said, "do not think that just because you are nice means that we will ultimately like you. But it is a good try. I am Kailani. This short-stuff here is Takua, Tahu's younger brother. Next to him is Jaller and Amaya is the girl braiding Nuhrii's hair. You already know Tahu, Lewa and Pohatu. So, Girlie-girl, what can we do for you?"

"I wanted to hand out."

"What about Shasa?"

"I ditched her and the girls."

The all gasped. Ditching Shasa was like giving up the chance in getting one million dollars for free.

"Girlie-girl," Kalani chuckled, "you have guts. Ditching Her Royal Highness, the Satellite, and the Mouseketeers. We like that."

"Mouseketeers?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It is the name we gave you, Nixie and Hahli." Takua said.

I thought it over and laughed. It did suit us.

"I like you, Girlie-girl." Kailani said. "We approve, Tamale."

Tahu flushed and I laughed even harder.

**

* * *

**

"I _told_ you that there was nothing to worry about." I told Tahu as he walked me home. "All I had to do was me my witty, charming self."

"The real you is better." Tahu mumbled.

The group had split because someone had called the police, claiming that we were disturbing the peace. Tahu had opted to take me home after Kailani asured him that Tahu would make it home safely.

The sun was starting to set, giving the houses an orangy glow.

"Hold on," I told him as I opened the front door, "I have something for you."

I grabbed the book off the kitchen table. I had remembered that he had been so interested in them yesterday that I had found one that he might like when I was at the mall. It was the perfect surprise.

"Here." I said, handing it to him. "Sorry that it is not wrapped."

"I thought it was the guys who were supposed to give the girls presents." he said.

"We are not dating." I caught myself almost saying 'yet.' That would have been a _huge_ slip-up.

"So... are your parents working?" he asked, noting the lack of vehicles.

"No, out of town. Do _not_ tell Shasa. Last time I told her, I spent the rest of my Sunday cleaning up garbage and explaining to my parents _why_ I had a party in the first place. Believe me, those kids in the movies make it look easy."

"Like I will ever talk to her."

"You never know. We _do_ have a small gradutating class this year."

"Please, Gali. Shasa and I are from two different galaxies."

"We are from two different galaxies." I said quietly. He suddenly realized what he said and tried to take it back. But once words are spoken, they can never be taken back.

"No we are not." he said, stumbling over his words, trying to explain himself. "You see, you are a comet. You travel everywhere, trying to get to know everyone. You were just... stuck in Shasa's orbit for a long time, is all."

I looked shyly up at him through my bangs. I could see him blush slightly at the innocent act.

"You think so?" I asked. He turned a more violent shade as he nodded and continued.

"Yeah, mean, you managed to get Kailani to like you in less than five minutes. She thought you were some prissy, little Miss. Know-It-All until today." He scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I... I have to get going. Takua is probably wondering where the hell I am by now. See you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow."

I waited for him to round the corner, stumbling a little when he looked back and saw me standing there. Even from the distance I could see the blood that was rushing to his face.

Tahu was... sweet and thoughtful. When he wanted to be. A little clueless when it came to girls, but it was... cute.

I shook my head and walked inside.

Now was not the time to be thinking of that.

* * *

**Yeah! So, Gali is starting to develop a crush (maybe?) on Tahu. Maybe it was just me. By the way, I have this thing for clumsy, blushing guys who do not know what to do with girls. Poor Tahu, for all his strength and power, he is weak when it comes to his little crush on Gali. (giggle) **

**Anyway, I learned many disturbing things about my cousins that I did not want to know.**


	4. Fourth

**The song that you should play in the background while reading this is one few of you would recognize. It is by Nine Days. "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)" was constantly in my head while I was going over the concept of the story. It is a sweet love song that I fell heels over head for. **

**That being said, I had to come up with a chapter in which it could be used. And that is how this chapter came into existence.**

**The Comedy of Gali Loubalu titled "Fourteen Days" continues on...**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do own Bionicle**

**Fourteen Days**

**by luv addict**

**Fourth**

**In Which Takua Goes Missing**

"_**This is the story of a girl  
Who cried a river and drowned the whole world  
And while she looked so sad in photographs  
I absolutely love her  
When she smiles..."  
—Nine Days, "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)"**_

"You ditched Shasa again?" Takua asked excitedly as I climbed into Tahu's banged-up, rust bucket he calls a vehicle. I had snickered along with the other infielders at the sight of the vehicle. Of course, he at least _had_ a car.

Tahu had messaged me via MySpace last night saying that Takua had some homework to do and wanted me to come with. I agreed. Turns out he had something for Astrology and had to go to the Mount Wilson Observatory to complete it. The building was literally in the middle of the Angeles National Forest. Which meant we had to head through city traffic (which is the worst on a Sunday) to make it to the ANF. That means, we took thirty minutes to go from one block to the next.

"Not exactly." I told the younger of the Veres brothers. "I told her the truth."

"That you would be hanging out with me and Tahu!"

"No, that my grandmother in the country wants me to visit her. And it is true, Meemaw wants to see how much I have grown in the past year."

"So, she thinks you are visiting your... Meemaw?" Tahu asked, laugher just brimming the words.

"Shut up, she has had us grandkids call her Meemaw."

"Lewa calls her Meemaw, too?" Takua asked.

"Kind of. She's Nana-Meemaw to him."

"...He likes to complicate things for himself?"

"He would not be Lewa if he did things the easy way." I sighed, resting my cheek on the window. It was going to be a peaceful day.

**

* * *

**

"So, this galaxy is... here and this one is... here!" Takua cried happily as he finished the last of his homework. "Done. Hey, Gali, are these answers right?"

"Did you copy them exactly as you saw them?" I asked.

"Yes, but..."

"Then they are probably right. Trust me, this packet is an easy 'A.' So what do you guys want to do? We have an hour before this place closes to the public."

"We could just hang out and not do anything." Tahu offered. "You know, like normal people do on a Sunday."

"Sounds good to me." I said. "Hey, Takua, how does that sound to you?"

When I got no answer, I turned around to look for him. He was not there.

"Takua?" I called, starting to panic.

Tahu shot up and called out for his brother.

"He was just here, damn it!" Tahu growled. "Takua!"

"Oh, God! What if he was kidnapped like in one of those specials you see on prime time? What is his kidnapper is a rapist? What is he gets raped! Oh, God, Tahu! What are we going to do?"

Okay, maybe I was being a _tad_ melodramatic, but I had seen enough of those prime time specials and I knew what happened to sweet, innocent boys like Takua.

"Gali, stay here." Tahu ordered.

"But what if the rapist comes after me?" I squeaked involuntarily.

Tahu rolled his eyes and grabbed my wrist.

"Fine. It would probably be better if you stuck with me anyway."

I swooped up Takua's backpack and packet and allowed Tahu to pull me through the observatory. Each second we did not spot him I grew more edgy. Tahu's grip was tight, causing me to wince. I was about to tell him, when he stopped. I ran into his— rather solid— back.

"Ow!" I grumbled, rubbing my nose to make sure that is was not broken. Tahu let go of my wrist and headed over to a group that was talking. (Did he find Takua?) I followed, nearly running into his back again when he stopped.

"Takua!" I heard Tahu growl. "What were you thinking?"

"Yeah." I said. "You had us worried and Tahu almost broke my nose!"

"Sorry." Takua said sheepishly, then defensivly, "I saw Nixie and Hahli and I wanted to say 'hi' and see is they needed any help."

I froze.

Crap. Nixie and Hahli were probably going to tell Shasa that I was with Tahu and Takua when I supposed to be visiting my Meemaw or doing my English paper.

"Gali?" Nixie asked, one of her waxed eyebrows raised curiously. Hahli looked just as curious.

"She was, uh, helping me with my homework." Takua said, coming to my defense. "I asked her Friday and she agreed."

"So, when you said you had homework to do..."

"Yeah..." I said.

"But what about your grandma?" Hahli asked.

"She forgot that she had Bingo today." She did have Bingo today and she hated it when we came to visit her on Bingo day.

"That woman likes her Bingo." Nixie muttered. She turned her attention to Takua. "Did you find numbers twenty-eight through thirty-four?"

"Yeah. Hey, Tahu, you and Gali can leave. Hahli said her mom will drop me off." Takua said, taking his stuff from me.

"You sure?" Tahu asked. His younger brother nodded.

I watched as they headed into the building we had just left. Tahu headed towards his car.

"Hey!" I cried after him, once I realized he had walked away. "Wait for me!"

**

* * *

**

The car ride back was awkwardly silent. The radio in Tahu's car does not work and neither of us was willing to break the silence.

As I got out of his car, however, he said, "If you need anything, I will be at the record store." I smiled and nodded at that, then headed to my house and unlocked the door.

"Bye." I said as he pulled away and drove off.

The place felt ridiculously empty when I walked in. The growls my stomach made echoed through the white washed walls and modern furniture my parents picked up from Ikea.

The kitchen was just as empty as the rest of the house but the freezer held frozen foods I could easily make for myself. And both my parents. I sometimes think they want me to be a stay-at-home mom or a chef on the Food Network. I really think it is the first because my mom can not wait for grandchildren, as she is always bugging my older brother to propose to the girl he is dating.

A whole chicken. Orange chicken. Honey chicken. Peanut butter chicken. Dumplings. Egg rolls. Jeeze, you would think my parents would have bought something other than Chinese food for me to eat.

The only thing that looked appetizing at all was the large bag of stir fry. Peapods, slices of beef, broccoli, red peppers, carrot chunks. Yum.

I quickly added the frozen chunk to the skillet and made the sauce; wine, vinegar, soy sauce, salt, sugar, and cornstarch. After that, I started working on the rice. Then I added seasonings (dried and crushed ginger and garlic) to the stir fry. Realizing that I wanted more Chinese, I put several egg rolls into the toaster oven. The greasy and tangy smells filled the kitchen and my senses. In a half hour, the food was done.

I groaned when I realized that I had made to much.

My mind thought of Tahu, who did not have time to eat dinner. He had to go straight to work.

"Gali," I told myself as I packed the food into Tupperware containers, "you must be crazy for doing this."

I grabbed the paper plates and two forks and tucked them into the same bag as the food. I got my bike out of the garage under my house and headed to Tahu and his starvation.

**

* * *

**

I walked into the building to find it empty, voide of all life.

"Hold on a sec." came from the backroom.

I walked up to the counter and waited for Tahu. When he came out to the front, he looked rather surprised to see me.

"Gali?" he asked. "What...?"

"Dinner." I said, holding up the bag. "Stir fry with white rice and egg rolls."

"Why...?"

"My parents on are on trip, remember? The house was lonely and I made too much."

"Thank you?"

I laughed. Hard. It hurt. A lot.

Fourty-five minutes later, I was stuffing the last egg roll, smothered in sweet and sour sause (which we had gotten from the Chinese restaurant across the street).

"Ha!" I said through a mouthful, declaring my victory. Tahu scowled, but it was not his normal 'I-hate-you-leave-me-alone-or-I-will-kill-you' scowl, it was more... lighthearted. It did not help his cause that he was struggling with his lips to not smile. "So."

"So..."

"Who is the band that is playing?"

"Coheed and Cambria." he said. "And before you ask, the song is 'Blood Red Summer.' It is one of my favorites."

"A rather morbid title for a pretty cool song."

"It is a rather morbid song."

"I see."

We sat in silence, listening to the song as it ended and switched to another by the same band. It was softer and sounded like a sweet love song.

"Hey, Gali?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?" I answered.

"Will you make lunch for me and Takua?"

I mulled it over. If Shasa found out, and trust me somehow she will, then I was as good as dead. But I was too nice of a person to say 'no.'

"Sure." I answered, with a smile.

Tahu mumbled his thanks, trying to hide his obvious blush behind his hair.

* * *

**A lot of my friends love Chevelle (mentioned in Second) and Coheed and Cambria. So, I borrowed several of their CDs and began listening to them. "Blood Red Summer" is from **_**In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3**_**. The other song that is mentioned is "Wake Up," which is on their first EP, **_**Plan to Take Over the World**_**, and **_**Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through The Eyes Of Madness**_**. **

**My brothers listened to both Chevelle and Coheed and Cambria as teens. And now, sadly, my nieces and nephew listen to them and can headbang to their songs better than their fathers.**

**You have no idea how happy those idiots were when "Welcome Home" was first on Rock Band. It was actually kind of funny to see a pair of twenty-year olds rock out via Rock Band before our mom took it away and grounded them from playing in. My eldest brother's daughter (who was three) laughed at the fact that he dad was grounded.**

**Ah, that was the best Christmas ever.**


	5. Fifth

**Right now, I would like to thank both sportsrulegirl and Saya Moonshadow who have been reviewing. Thanks you two!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle.**

**Fourteen Days**

**by luv addict**

**Fifth**

**In Which Tahu Gets Help**

"_**And here where the night is darkest black  
She feels the fear and the light is farthest back  
And through her tears she can't see the dawn is coming  
Skies will clear and the light will find her where she's always been..."  
—Superchick, "Suddenly"**_

I made the Veres brothers their lunches. Tuna salad sandwiches, two for each of them. An apple, Granny Smith of course. Twenty Cheetos each, Flaming Hots for Tahu. They would have to supply their own drinks from the vending machines.

Neither boy knew what they were getting, so Takua was surprised when I handed him a brown, paper bag and said, "Keep it cold until your lunch hour."

"Huh?" he asked, peering into the bag. Jaller peaked over his shoulder.

"Tuna salad sandwiches." I said, then stopped. "Tahu did not tell you, did he?"

"Tell me what?"

I sighed. It was just like Tahu.

"He asked me to make you two lunches."

"Dude!" Jaller breathed.

"Why the hell did that asshole not tell me!" Takua cried. "He was probably going to keep both lunches for himself."

With that, he stormed off to find his older brother before I could say anything.

"It has always been like that." Jaller explained.

"Hey, Girlie-girl." Kailani said as she sauntered over. "Takua looked pretty miffed about something."

"Tahu asked Gali to make them lunch and did not tell Takua."

The dark girl frowned.

"Just like Tamale." she muttered.

"Maybe he forgot?" I suggested.

"Lunch is Tahu's favorite class." Jaller sighed.

"Indeed it is!" came from someone up in the tree near us. We all jumped when the person landed besides us.

"You are a jerk, you know that?" I said, frowning at Tahu.

"I know, I know. I _was_ going to give him his lunch but—" he stopped, seeing my face. "Um... Right, I will go and, uh, appologize."

"You have him so whipped." Kailani said, watching as he left. I snorted.

"He is only doing because of the lov— Uh, the lovely food he tasted a few days ago."

"So, that is why he hangs around you? Huh, thought he was in love or something."

Kailani had no idea how right she was.

"Ew, Gali! Get away from those outfielders!" I heard Kai screech across the courtyard. She, along with Nixie and Hahli, stormed— more so her than the other two— over to us.

"Oh, joy." Kailani said sarcastically. "The satellite is coming over."

Jaller snickered. Kai stuck her tongue out at him.

"Careful," he warned, "some gulls might decide that your tongue looks rather tastey."

She quickly sucked it back in and eyed the sky wearily. No gulls in sight. Nixie stopped her friend from shooting a nasty remark at the blond.

"Gali, Mr. Rodolf wants to see you about something." she said.

"Alight." I sighed.

"Thanks, um, for the math help." Kailani said, covering for my reason for talking to them.

"You are welcome." I smiled.

The girls lead me to the English department.

"Since when do you help outsiders with their math homework?" Kai asked in disgust.

"Since they asked me to." I said. "They really have no reason to fail any class."

"I am glad you think that way, Miss. Loubalu." Mr. Rodolf said, stepping out of his office, catching us offguard.

"Y-you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, I did. Thank you, Kai, Nixie, Hahli." They left, rather reluctantly. "I have a student, a rather lazy procrastinator, who has a paper due in three weeks. Do you think you could help him?"

"Sure."

"Great! Now, let us see... The paper is on _Casablanca_. He has to write why the music, lighting, and the acting did or did not work for the film. It is not a complex paper, but it is half of his grade and if he fails this, he fails the class."

"Who is the student?" I asked as he handed me the criteria for the paper.

"Tahu Veres."

**

* * *

**

"So, you are helping Veres." Shasa said, trying to get her facts straight.

"Mm-hm." I hummed.

"With a paper."

"Yep."

"So he does not fail his cinema class."

"Right on the mark!"

"You are doomed."

"How so?" I asked, scrunching my brows.

"If you hang out with him during lunch, people will think that you two are d-a-t-i-n-g! Not good, Gali-girl, not good. You have a very powerful reputation here, you know that? If people think you two are, you know, then you will be an outfielder. And us, your ever loyal besties, will be classified as outsiders too. I will not have that."

"You are _so_ caring. Well, got to jet, if Tahu wants an 'A' on his paper, then I will have to help him!"

"Oh, Gali!" Shasa sighed as I left her to find the others.

I found Tahu with his friends at a table full of rowdy people I had not met before. They all seemed a little surprised at me standing there and Kailani greeting me with a cheery smile.

"Girlie-girl!" she cried, leaping over several guys to shake my hand. "To _what_ do we owe the pleasure of you joining us?"

"I, uh, Mr. Rodolf asked me to help Tahu with a paper." I said, rather nervous around this group.

"Yeah, right!" someone said. "She probably just wants to make out or something."

"Leave her alone, Kalama." Tahu said, easing out of his chair. He turned to me and said, "Mr. Rodolf told me, so we better see what we can do with this hopeless paper."

"Twenty bucks he is late for next hour!" Kalama said, placing bets.

Tahu and I walked over to a much more secluded table to work on his paper. He showed me the note he took (three in all) and stated that it was useless.

"I saw _Casablanca_," I said, "so maybe I can help you remember things about the movie."

"I was a sleep through most of it."

"Oh."

"It is useless!"

"It is not. Now come on, let us start with the paragraph on lighting..."

Let me just say, the rest of lunch was like that.

* * *

**I wanted this chapter to be shorter than the others. Not really sure why.**

**The idea about Gali helping Tahu was given to me by my niece who had to write five whole sentences on why her aunt is the awesomest person in the world.**


	6. Sixth

****

This chapter drove me insane. A LOT of conversation. Hopefully you can follow who is talking and when.

**Okay, I was reading through this (the first part) and was like, "Why the hell are there random thoughts in here?" Then I realized that Gali was editing Tahu's paper. Just letting you know, so you are not like, "What the hell? 'No period...' What?!"**

**Freaky thing. I went to go edit this chapter and the power went out and then turned back on.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle.**

**Fourteen Days**

**by luv addict**

**Sixth**

**In Which Gali Sings**

"_**So long, status quo,  
I think I just let go.  
Your make me want to be brave.  
The way it always was,  
Is no longer good enough.  
You make me want to be brave,  
Brave, brave..."  
—Nicole Nordeman, "Brave"**_

"So, the record store is holding a karaoke night tonight." Tahu said, leaning back on his chair as I proofread what he had typed up last night.

"Uh-huh." I said, chewing on my red pen's cap.

"Maxwell, my boss asked me to ask you if you wanted to come."

"Where?"

"My workplace."

"What fore?"

"Karaoke night."

"When?"

"Tonight."

"I am busy."

"With what?"

"Your paper. Ask me later."

"Gali." he groaned

"Tahu." I mocked. "Alright, fine. I will be there."

"Thank you."

"But I will have to take a shower before. I reek after gym."

"The girls do not take showers here?"

"Uh-uh. Too many of us. And the teachers do not make us."

"Funny."

"What?" I asked, my eyes never leaving his paper. Lighting is spelled wrong...

"We have to take a shower."

"That is because all male gym teachers are perverts."

"...That is not funny."

"Who said I was trying to be funny?" No period at the end of the sentence... "I was actually very serious about the statement, Tahu."

"I do not like you very much."

"That is a lie and you know it."

"Damn." he grumbled.

I smirked.

"So, I need you to fix these errors tonight after the karaoke." I said, handing him his backer back. He muttered something incoherent under his breath. "What?"

"Nothing."

A lie.

"Are you going to pick me up?" I asked, gathering my stuff before the bell signaling that lunch was over rung.

"Uh, yeah, if you want me to."

"Great."

"Seven thirty."

"Sharp."

"Sharp."

**

* * *

**

I had almost forgotten that Tahu was picking me up to have some fun singing some karaoke. I do not do karaoke often, and usually only with Nixie and Hahli, who never judged me for being off-key.

I quickly showered, changed into black skinny jeans and a white shirt, and waited for him. He arrived twenty minutes after I was done, wearing fresher clothes (a red shirt with gold Chinese characters and a dragon, and black jeans).

"I did not know you owned anything that was black." he said.

"It is slimming." I commented back.

"You do not need to look any skinnier."

"Huh?"

"You are perfectly healthy looking. Shasa could use some weight, though."

Did he just call me skinny?

I looked over at him out of the corner of my eye and could almost swear that he was blushing. I was hard to tell though, because the amber lights from outside obscured the coloring.

"Thank you." I said quietly. I felt a small smile tug at my lips.

"Y-yeah." he said nervously.

**

* * *

**

A lot of Tahu's friends were there, waiting for him. They waved down from the loft area with the balcony overlooking the store.

I was suddenly very timid.

"Hey, Tahu!" someone said as we passed by.

"Hi." Tahu greeted flatly.

A little spot, far off to the wall, had been saved for us. We sat there, silently watching for over an hour. Takua and Jaller went up several times. Kailani went up twice. And many others I did not know filled the in between. The few times the Nuhrii went up, everyone ended up wincing (especially during "Stacy's Mom").

"You are not going to go up?" Tahu asked.

"Huh? Oh, um..." I tried to find the words to say.

"Nervous?"

"Yeah."

"Everyone is their first time. Takua was not though, but he has always been strange."

I nodded.

"Gali! Gali!" Takua cried as he sat down at the table next to ours. "Are you going to sing?"

"I really do not know yet." I answered.

"Huh? Why not? I bet Gali has a _really _good singing voice. You should go up! It is a lot of fun."

"Leave her alone, Takua." Tahu said. "Is she does not want to sing, she does not have to."

"But she wants to! ...She just does not know it yet."

I bit my lip in an attempt to stifle my giggles. It did not work. The two of them were hilarious together. Tahu, although he tried to be a bad ass, had a soft spot for his younger brother. It was really evident in a conversation like this.

"She is also crazy." I heard Takua say. "Gali, please go up there and sing!"

"I-I-I d-d-do no-not kno-know wh-what song to s-sing." I said through my laughter.

Takua walked up to the front and grabbed a book. When he came back to us, he handed me the book.

"It is a list of songs." he said. "A _long_ list."

I flipped through, Takua commenting on different song. I finally settled on "Waking Up in Vegas." The song held a special place in my heart because of Hahli. While she _pretended_ to be meek and have a tiny voice, she could belt out that song better than Katy Perry herself. I just hope I did not end up ruining it.

Shaking, I headed up towards the stage. I told the guy, Mohawk guy— what was his name? Maxwell!— in charge of setting in the correct disk. He smiled when I told him and introduced me. Several people, mostly those I recognized (despite the blinding light) cheered. A few other did out of being polite. The rest kept silent— hate against Shasa and her croonies.

"You gotta help me out.  
It's all a blur last night.  
We need a taxi,  
'Cause you're hung-over and I'm broke.  
I lost my fake I.D.,  
But you lost the motel key.  
Spare me your freakin' dirty looks,  
Now don't blame me.  
You want to cash out  
And get the hell out of town..."

My voice was shaky and quiet, but I heard Takua and Kailani encouraging me.

"Don't be a baby,  
Remember what you told me.  
Shut up and put your money where your mouth is—  
That's what you get for waking up in Vegas.  
Get up and shake the glitter off your clothes, now—  
That's what you get for waking up in Vegas.

"Why are these lights so bright?  
Oh, did we get hitched last night, dressed up like Elvis—  
And why, why am I wearing your class ring?  
Don't call your mother,  
'Cause now we're partners in crime..."

Several others cheered and started singing along. I tried not to laugh when Takua got up and started to dance in front of the stage. Tahu, embarrassed by his brother, grabbed him and pulled him back into the shadows.

"Don't be a baby,  
Remember what you told me.  
Shut up and put your money where your mouth is—  
That's what you get for waking up in Vegas.  
Get up and shake the glitter off your clothes, now—  
That's what you get for waking up in Vegas.

"You got me into : overload; situation: lost out an S.O.S..Ha! And get some cash out—We're going to tear up the ...

"Don't be a baby,  
Remember what you told me.  
Remember what you told me.  
Remember what you told me, you told me, you told me...

"Shut up and put your money where your mouth is—  
That's what you get for waking up in Vegas.  
Get up and shake the glitter off your clothes, now—  
That's what you get for waking up in Vegas.

"That's what you get,  
Shake the glitter!  
Shake, shake, shake the glitter, c'mon!  
Get me some cash out baby!  
Get me some cash out, baby!"

The assembled group whooped and cheered as I made my way to the table.

"I am _not_ doing that again." I said to the Veres brothers.

"Awe, but you were _so_ good, Gali!" Takua whined.

"You did not let me finish. Anyway, I am _not_ doing that again, unless Tahu goes up to sing."

Takua smirked deviously at his brother. Tahu went up and sang "The Ring of Fire." I went up only one other time and that was to sing ABBA's "Mamma Mia" with Kailani— who, as it turns out, loves the band and Mamma Mia! the musical. For a girl who acted tougher than any guy on the football team, she had a fun, girly side.

We eventually left at 10:43 PM, mainly so Tahu could close up. I did not get home until 11:01 PM. If my parents had been home, I would have been _so_ grounded.

I was about ready to crash on my bed, skinny jeans and all, when the phone rang. I checked the caller I.D.

"Windsnap?" I asked no one in particular, frowning. I picked it up. "Hello...?"

"So, how was your date?" I heard one on the twins ask. In the background I heard, "Awe, Macku! I wanted to ask her that!"

"Can it wait?" I asked Macku. "I am tired."

"We have not heard from you in a while and we just wanted to see how things were going. They are going great, are they not?"

"Yes, fine. Now, goodnight!"

I hung up the phone and unplugged the two wires so the phone would not ring and wake me up.

In reality, I was happy that they still cared. If it had been Shasa that had given me the potion, she would have deemed this a total failure. Hanging out with Tahu— and going on what they called a 'date'— had been more than fine. It had, in fact, been perfectly wonderful.

* * *

**My first date with a guy was to a karaoke bar. It was kind of sad and I did not have the guts to go up and sing. The guy did, though, and he sang "The Ring of Fire." Gosh, I love that song. It is really funny to hear him try to sing the song. He got booed off and we left. We laugh about it now (it has been— what?—six years and we just started talking again last year). He was surprisingly very helpful while writing this chapter.**


	7. Seventh

**My dad got a Snuggie for his birthday. It is that camel brown color that is actually really ugly, so it looks like a monk robe. My mom argued with him about it all night. It was kind of funny, except for the fact that they were loud and I had to get up early for work. XP **

**Anyway, this is the seventh chapter. Half of this fic is now public and readable, while the other half... well, it is still being edited. Ah well, it will be done later today, probably. I have the time.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle.**

**Fourteen Days**

**by luv addict**

**Seventh**

**In Which Shasa Is Suspicious**

**"_And I don't want the world to see me  
Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's made to be broken  
I just want you to know who I am..."  
—Goo Goo Dolls, "Iris"_**

"So?" Macku Windsnap asked excitedly.

"So... what?" I asked back.

The twins had found me before school and would not leave me alone. I knew what they wanted and I was not telling them. Much.

"The date!" Kotu said, just as excited as her twin.

"Shush!" Macku scolded. "How was it?"

"Like I said last night, fine. And," I slammed my locker shut, "it was _not_ a date."

"You keep telling yourself that."

"I was not!" I walked away.

"Fine! We will talk to Tahu!"

I hesitated then kept going to my first class. I would _not_ let them get to me.

**

* * *

**

"Strange company you keep nowadays, Gali." Shasa commented as I entered the classroom. I took my seat next to her.

"Huh?" I asked.

"First, you started hang out with Tahu and his dweeby friends, and now you were spotted talking to the Windsnap twins."

"They are delusional."

"As if we did not already know that. So, what did they want?"

I shrugged. "Mainly to see how I was doing, really. We have not talked in years and they wanted to see how things were going with me."

"We do not hang out with freaks of nature, Gali-kins."

"'Gali-kins?'" a boy snickered. Shasa glared at him and he immediately shut up. I looked at him and blinked, surprised. It was Kalama. I did not know he was in our class.

It was not until after class and Shasa had left me that Kalama approached me again.

"By day," he said, "you are amongst the school's elite students in their pretty-in-pink popularity and editor of Tamale's papers. But, by night, you are a his leading lady and pop star that everyone can not stop talking about."

"I am _not_ Tahu's leading lady. We are just friends who happen to be spending a lot of time getting to know each other." I replied. "Kailani said I should watch out for you, what with you being a troublemaker and all."

"Ah, Kailani, a dark beauty who sends many-a-good men's hearts aflutter and plays puppeteer to them."

"You like her."

"What? Oh, _hell_ no! She is a bitch! Oh, uh, hi Kailani."

I smirked. Yeah, he totally liked her.

"Troublemaker, leave Girlie-girl alone. She is _nice_ and I want her to stay that way. She needs to be in one piece for the Masquerade."

"Shit!" I groaned. "I _completely_ forgot about the Masquerade on Halloween. I am _so_ screwed."

"Why?"

"Shasa wants at least _some_ competition for Pumpkin Queen and I have not signed up yet!"

"How about this, I get you all nominated and you get our votes, that way Shasa will get what she wants."

"Thank you _so_ much, Kailani! I would hug you but it is kind of against all rules of being an infielder."

"No problem, Girlie-girl." Kailani said with a smile. "We got your back."

**

* * *

**

With ten days to go before the Masquerade, student council was gathering their supplies they needed. Since I was not a part of the student council, I did not have to stay after. Shasa, who was president, tried to make sure that I could make the meetings but it ended up that I had a conflicting schedule. Of course, this was when I had a job as a bagger at the Food 4 Less down the block from me before it closed.

So, I headed for the Pizza Hut three blocks from the school, where I would be meeting Kailani, Takua, Jaller, and Tahu. Nuhrii, Aft, and Amaya all had to work, so they would not be there. And no one was sure about Kalama. If he was there, he was there; if not, then not.

Takua needed help with his homework, so I sat between him and Kailani, in the back corner of our rounded booth. Tahu got up to get me my food from the all-you-can-eat pizza bar. In kind of wished he had sat next to me so that we could talk. We really have not had a chance to talk where our conversation was interrupted or about his paper (which he turned in today, with my approval).

"Okay, so you divide the diameter with the radius." I said.

"What is the diameter and what is the radius?" Takua asked, confused.

"The diameter goes from one side, through the center and to the other. The radius goes from the center to one side."

"Huh?"

"The diameter splits the circle in half."

"Oh, and the radius is half of that?"

"Yep."

"Cool. So, if the diameter is ten, then the radius is five."

"You got it."

"Thanks, Gali!" Takua cried, tackling me with a surprise hug and sending me into Kailani, who bumped into the others.

"Hey!" she cried, shoving us off playfully.

"Here's your pizza." Tahu said, setting my plate in front of me, reaching over several others to do so.

"Thanks." I said, grabbing a slice before it was down.

"Piggy." Takua said, poking my stomach.

"I am not fat." I said, swatting at his hand, mouth full of pizza. "Just ask Tahu."

"Tahu, is Gali a piggy?"

"No, she is not a piggy." Tahu said before taking a bite of a pepperoni slice.

Kailani laughed at that, sending the others and myself into fits of laughter.

My phone decided to buzz at that time. Everyone shushed as I answered it.

"Hello?" I asked, trying to calm myself from laughing again.

"Gali?" It was Shasa. She was crying. I quickly shushed even the smallest conversation at the table. "I... Where are you?"

"Is something wrong?"

"It... it... Pohatu..."

I frowned. She has had a crush on Pohatu for as long as I could remember. I wonder what happened.

I motioned for them to let me out as I gathered my things.

"Where are you at?" I asked her.

"School. The bathroom, our bathroom."

"I will be there as fast as I can."

"What is it? What is wrong?" Tahu asked.

"Shasa. Something happened. She... I am not sure exactly. I have to leave." I explained. "Bye guys!"

"Bye!" they called.

I ran to the high school. Breathless, I showed the security guard my I.D. and I was let in. I made my way to our bathroom. It was not _really_ our bathroom, we just called it that because we used it the most.

"Shasa?" I called in nervously. I heard flip flops patter softly on the floor, a stall door unlock, and then she appeared. Her eyes were red, her make up was running, and her face was blotchy.

She only cried in private, never in a school bathroom. She hated the way she looked when she cried. "I do not cry pretty," she had told me one time in the sixth grade. It was true, but as a good friend, I had reassured her.

"He rejected me." she said in a small voice and dropped her head on my shoulder. I patted her back sympathetically.

"Pohatu?" I asked. Pohatu, as far as I knew, was single and never turned down Shasa whenever she asked him to take her to a dance.

"He... he said that he already had a date. Gali, who in this school would he take to that dance other than me?"

"Maybe she is not from this school?"

"You are not helping." she said flatly, looking up at my face.

"There are better guys out there?" I suggested. He body shook, whether from crying or laughing I do not know. "Uh, how about, there are more fish in the sea? Shasa, we both knew from the start he was not worth it. How about Onua? I was just talking to him last hour. He was rejected by several flattered girls. Want me to text him and see is he wants to go with you? Or how about Lewa?"

Shasa snorted.

"I asked them both before I asked Pohatu."

"Oh..."

"Hey, do you think you could set me up with an outfielder, to, you know, gain more votes from them? How about Tahu? You talk to him everyday, right? Do you think you could set me up with him?"

"I... He said he already had a girl in mind." I lied. I was actually kind of mad that she would suggest asking Tahu. "You would have to ask him."

"He asked you, right?" she asked quietly.

"No... He... He likes somebody else."

I could be true. He _was_ under the influence of the love potion. He really could have deep feelings for Kailani for all I know. And that was the thing that sent a lump in my throat.

* * *

**We saw a weak Shasa. See? She is not all bad. She is human too... sort of. And she is suspicious of Tahu and Gali's relationship— dun, dun, dun!**


	8. Eighth

**This chapter is **_**short**_**! But I could not find a way to make it longer. **

**My grandpa is taking us fishing today. He will actually be picking us up soon.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle or Mr. Six.**

**Fourteen Days**

**by luv addict**

**Eighth**

**In Which Plans Are Made**

"_**Ofuro no ondo wa nurume (The temperature of my bath isn't warm enough)  
Amae kata datte chuutohanpa (My dependency on you is not enough either)  
Sore koso amae kana (Maybe that's just unnecessary kindness to myself)..."  
—Utada Hikaru, "Wings"**_

At lunch, I sat with the girls again, talking about random crap we did not care about. Some of the infielder guys watched as I chomped on the burger I had gotten.

"What?" I asked them, wiping away ketchup that had gotten itself in the side of my mouth.

"Nothing." they all said, looking away. Then they all frowned at someone as he or she walked up to us. I turned around and saw Tahu.

"Gali, can I talk to you?" he asked.

"Sure." I said. We headed out into the hallway, where it was quiet.

I had called him up last night and told him about Shasa and Pohatu. He sympathized and somehow the other outfielders were kinder to the most popular girl in school.

Of course, when I questioned Pohatu, he said he had asked a girl from another school to go to the dance with him. She was the fastest girl in her county and the deal she and Pohatu had, was if he beat her, she would accompany him to the dance. If she beat him, he would have to loose every race against her school.

I had also told Tahu that Shasa wanted to go to the Masquerade with him. He told me he had another girl in mind (I could already guess who it was, me) and he wanted to ask her.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" I asked, already knowing what he was going to ask.

"What are you and the girls doing this weekend?" he asked, rather nervously.

"Huh?"

"What are you and the girls doing this weekend? Kailani, Takua, Jaller and I think it would be great if both our groups hung out. We were planning on going to Six Flags and we were wondering if you guys would like to come. All expenses paid."

I blinked, quite unsure.

"I will ask them." I said, then I remembered. "The girls and I were going to the skating rink tomorrow after school. You guys are free to come."

He smiled and said, "We will be there."

We headed back to our respected tables and sat down with our friends.

"How would you girls feel about going to Six Flags this weekend?" I asked.

"Why?" Kai asked suspiciously.

"As long as I do not see Mr. Six, I am in." Nixie said.

"Me too! They will be closing soon and I want to go to Frightfest." Hahli said giddily. "Can we wear our costumes?"

"Why not." I answered.

"Hold up." Nixie said. "Where are we going to get the money? We barely have enough to go skating tomorrow."

"Tahu and his friends are paying for us." I winced, waiting for a shriek of rage. It never came.

"All expenses paid?" Shasa asked

"Uh-huh."

"What about us?" one of the guys asked.

"Sorry, only us five were invited."

"This would help me get votes for the Pumpkin Queen." Shasa said, mulling it over. "I am in."

"Alright, I will go." Kai grumbled.

"Oh, uh, before I forget." I said. "They will be joining us at the skating rink, too."

Kai swore under her breath, making it clear how much she disliked the idea already. It was going to be a fun weekend.

**

* * *

**

I texted Tahu later that night, letting him know that we would be going. Our conversation went like this:

**Me: The girls and I agreed.**

_**Tahu: Cool. And your answer...?**_

**We will not, not be going.**

_**Awesome... That was a confusing answer btw.**_

**I know.**

_**LMAO**_

**What?!**

_**Takua fell off a chair. XD**_

**LMFAO!**

It was an interesting conversation, to say the least.

* * *

**Ugh! I wish I could have made this longer, but it was **_**impossible**_**! I mean, I could have added a part where Tahu, his friends and Gali hung out but they have been doing a lot of that lately.**

**So, these next two chapters will be interesting. Expecially with tomorrow's chapter. Hahli flirts? And, what is this? Gali tells someone about the potion? (gasp!)**


	9. Ninth

**Yeah! Ice skating! Question: Who does not like ice skating? It is fun, you fall on your butt and freeze it, and you get a cup of hot chocolate for a dollar (though, it is really only worth fifty cents).**

**I was working on this chapter the first day that I posted the first chapter up. I was not really sure what to write (with the first chunk mostly). But I knew that Macku and Kotu had to make an appearance, as they have not been seen for a while.**

**My grandpa took us "kids" fishing yesterday. I caught the most fish without even trying really. I have always been that lucky though. I think my grandpa was mad because each time he got to set his hook in, another one of us girls caught one. Ah, I miss the good old days.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle. **

* * *

**Fourteen Days**

**by luv addict**

**Ninth**

**In Which Hahli Flirts**

"_**I don't know but I think I may be  
Fallin' for you, dropping so quickly.  
Maybe I should keep this to myself  
Waiting 'til I know you better.  
I am trying not to tell you,  
But I want to.  
I'm scared of what you'll say.  
So I'm hiding what I'm feeling,  
But I'm tired of  
Holding this inside my head..."  
—Colbie Caillat, "Fallin' for You"**_

School flew by. It was a Friday and none of my teachers were willing to do much. Plus, my mind, like many others', was on the fun filled weekend ahead.

"Gali," Shasa said, "people are starting to talk."

"About what?" I asked her as we headed to our lockers to drop off our books.

"About us. About you. About the outfielders you hang out with. I am not sure about the weekend anymore."

"Shasa, people will _always_ talk about you."

"But it is _me_ they are talking about. I do not want to lose you."

Translation: People are talking about you. If you become an outfielder, you are no longer my friend and then I will not be able to watch you to make sure that you do not spread my secrets.

"You think I care about what people think of me?" I do care and I care a _lot_.

"That is what I am worried about. Gali, you are an élite member of high school society. You are one of the smartest, prettiest, and most daring girls in this place. Please, _please_ think it over."

"I already have." I said.

"Really?" she asked, bright-eyed.

"Yes, and I have decided that I do not care what people say or think about it."

"Oh..."

"Shasa, please, it would be offending to them if you did not come. And besides, you might win over their votes for Pumpkin Queen." Okay, that was evil and down right dirty, but I wanted her to get to know them like I did.

"Alright, fine. I will go. For the votes and to support you."

"Thanks."

She waved and walked off to her locker. I quickly turned the dial of my own and stuffed my books in. I grabbed my coat and shrieked when I saw Macku and Kotu waiting for me.

"Sorry." they said, rather flatly, in unison.

"Anyway, we hear that you are hanging out with Tahu and his friends." Macku said.

"And that your friends are going with."

"We see that you are enjoying the potion much more than you first thought."

"Not now," I said, moving past them. "I have to meet everyone by the main entrance. But I do thank you girls for the potion. I am having a wonderful time doing things I would not normally do."

"Have fun!" they called together.

I shook my head and continued to the main entrance on the other side of the school. That is one of the many things I hate about my school. They always place the seniors as far away from our cars as possible, while the freshmen who take the buses are farthest from the long, yellow vehicles. A lot of us infielders believe it is some horrible joke the staff decides to play on their oldest and rowdiest students every year. In a way, it is funny and in another it is ironic, but it is mostly just infuriating.

When I got to the main entrance, both group were segregated. The girls (Shasa, Nixie, Hahli, and Kai) stood rather nervously on one side of the doors and the others (Tahu, Takua, Jaller, Kailani, and Kapura) twenty feet away. All of them perked up when they saw me.

This was going to be an interesting evening.

**

* * *

**I was glad that I had brought gloves with me. The ice rink was cold, colder than I had originally thought it would be. I was slipping and sliding more than I was actually skating. So, I did the worst thing possible: I hung on to Hahli.

Neither Hahli or I were even to be called "good" at skating. We both had poor balance on the single blade and fell down. A lot. But we giggled like the school girls we were.

Nixie, who was skating rings around us, had taken up figure skating in our younger years. And, apparently, she and Kailani had competed several times, as the two of them were showing off how graceful they were to the few others there.

Takua cheered them on, never really picking someone over the other. Jaller and Kapura, his much more silent companions, clapped every now and then.

Shasa and Kai, who had gone skating after Nixie's competitions, were both much better than Hahli and I put together. They sometimes laughed when we fell and got off the ice every now and then to rest.

Tahu stayed near us, helping us to our unsteady feet and making sure no on fell over us. We were grateful for him.

After an hour or so of skating, Hahli and I stumbled off the ice and onto the rubber floor, Tahu following quietly behind. We decided on hot chocolates.

Tahu went off to get them. We tried to hand him our money, but he waved it off.

"I will just pay." he said. "This way I do not have to worry about how much change to give you."

Hahli and I shrugged it off and talked quietly to one another.

"This was a great idea." Hahli said, her cheeks rosy from the cold given off by the ice. "Inviting the out... Tahu and his friends. Tomorrow will be fun too. By the way, how you getting to Six Flags tomorrow?"

"Tahu is picking me up." I answered, rubbing my hands together and then sitting on them, trying to warm them up.

"You two sure are spending a lot of time together."

"We just get along, is all."

"Are you sure something is not going on between you two?"

I looked around cautiously. There was barely anyone sitting down, just a group of middle school students and a mother and her son. Tahu was still getting our hot chocolates. It was quiet enough that she could hear me at a normal level, but noisy enough so no one else would overhear us. The coast was clear.

"Promise not to tell anyone?" I asked her. She nodded. "You remember Macku and Kotu, right?"

"Yeah, the creepy girls in my Trig. class." she answered. "You used to be friends with them."

"Well, you see, they were trying to help Thok Booker notice me and ask me out, so they gave me a love potion—"

"Gali, you know how rediculous that sounds? A love potion?"

"I know, I know, but it is true. So, they gave me the love potion and just when I was about to give it to Thok, Tahu comes out of nowhere and drinks it."

"So, he is under the influence of a love potion?"

"Yep. And he asked me out. I am worried about what would happen if I rejected him, you know?" She did. "So, I said I would get to know him and we just, sort of, got along. He... do not know. He is just a sweet guy who, despite his bad assy-ness—" Is that even a word? "—who listens to me. He actually care about what I have to say, not how I look. It is... refreshing compared to what I am around all day."

"I wish I had someone like that. Well, minus the love potion thing, but still, you know, in like with me." she said quietly.

"Hey, there. What are two angels like yourselves doing here all alone?" a voice interrupted our conversation.

We looked up and I frowned. It was a rather buff guy, probably a hockey player, trying to pick up a girl or two.

"What do you want?" I snapped.

"Hi." Hahli said silkily, giving a little wave and smiling timidly. Dear God, what was she doing.

"I was wondering what you were doing later." he said.

I looked between them, open mouthed, trying to figure out why Hahli was flirting. And bad flirting at that.

"Well, I am kind of busy, but," she bit her lip teasingly, "how about me and my friend meet you in the bathroom for a little... surprise."

His eyebrows shot up, then his face settled into a knowing smirk.

"See you there?"

"See you there."

Once he was gone, I slapped her arm.

"Hahli— what the hell!" I shrieked.

"We need to leave. Now. Go get Tahu, I will get the others." she ordered.

I rolled my eyes, finally understanding her plan. Tell the meathead that we would meet him in the bathroom, when in actual reality we would be leaving with our friends, laughing our asses off at how stupid he was.

I tapped Tahu on the shoulder. He had just gotten and paid for the hot chocolates.

"We have to leave." I told him. "Hahli's orders."

"But I just—" he began.

"I know and I sympathize. But... Look Hahli will explain it once we get somewhere safe to laugh it off."

"What did you two do?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nothing that you need to concern yourself about."

"Gali..."

"Later, aright?"

"Fine." he grumbled.

**

* * *

**"So, we left the skating rink early because Hahli flirted with an idiot so he would stop flirting with you two?" Kailani asked, trying to get the story straight.

"That is correct." Hahli said, fidgeting on the couch in between Jaller and Takua.

We had gone back to my place, seeing as it was empty. Shasa and Kai had demanded that they be brought home first, which Tahu did grudgingly.

"Man," Takua said, lounging back on the couch, "this is going to be one crazy weekend."

I could not agree with him more.

* * *

**So, I struggled with this chapter and the next chapter, mainly because I could not focus on the writing. It took me a while before I finally got it to where I was semi-pleased with it.**

**Anyway, I was having trouble posting this earlier. I copied the document and saved it as several different files and tried to upload it several times before I finally came across the right one, that is why this was not up any sooner.**


	10. Tenth

**Has anyone ever gotten stuck on a ride? I have yet to be. They always seem to break down **_**after**_** I get off. Tyche (the Greek goddess of fortune) must favor me in such things.**

**There is a little thing with Hahli and a seagull. This actually happened to my youngest sister. Trust me, it is quite hysterical to see.**

**There is an analogy to Roman mythology in this chapter, just so you know. My oldest brother pointed it out, making me laugh, and then think about it. Funny how these things are sometimes.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle. I also do not own Six Flags: Magic Mountain.**

* * *

**Fourteen Days**

**by luv addict**

**Tenth**

**In Which Garbage Is Picked Up**

"_**Set me free, leave me be.  
I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity  
Here I am and I stand so tall, just the way I'm supposed to be  
But you're on to me and all over me..."  
—Sara Bareilles, "Gravity"**_

Six Flags: Magic Mountain was one of the few Six Flags theme parks that was opened all year round. Being that is was Fright Fest, the most popular time for adults to take their children to an amusement park despite that it was meant for teens, it was a fairly crowded place. It was also a Saturday, so the crowd was only going to grow throughout the day.

We were going to be a part of that crowd.

"Ugh!" Shasa moaned into the early morning air. "It is too freaking early."

"Look at it this way," Kailani said, draping an arm around her shoulder, which Shasa quickly brushed off, "we have the best chance to get in the best spots on the rides."

"Yeah, but as the day goes on, it will get worse." Kai pointed out.

"Obviously, you do not know the best spot on a roller coaster."

"The front?"

"No," Kailani said, "a lot of people make that mistake. The front end of a car on a roller coaster has the most control and is actually the safest spot on the ride. The back on the other hand, you often get whipped around a lot faster. Plus a lot of people are idiots an do not realize that they would have much more fun in the back rather than the front."

It made sense. Sort of.

"They just opened the booths." Tahu announced. He started to walk over. I followed after, trailing him like a duckling. The others were close behind. Apparently, he was paying for everyone. And, apparently, he had the money, as he took out his debit card and the cashier at the booth, looked blankly at him. The cashier looked familiar...

"Onua?" I asked, surprised.

The dark-skinned boy blinked his sleepy, green eyes at me and smiled.

"Hey, Loubalu." he said. "Tahu has not scared you off yet?"

I shook my head.

"You work here?" I asked.

"Only on the weekends. Kopaka works here too."

I blinked. Kopaka works at an amusement park where he is _bound_ to meet girls who would crush on him in a matter of seconds? Somehow, that did not make sense to me at all.

"Come on." Tahu said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me away. "You can talk during school. I want to go on a roller coaster before it gets too crowded."

I waved to Onua

Everyone followed obediently, talking amongst each other. Shasa and Kai kept to themselves again, while Hahli and Nixie blended in a little more. I would have to plead with the anti-socials during a bathroom break.

Tahu lead us to the Batman ride. It was always a ridiculous wait for a thirty-second ride, but it was always well worth the wait.

We had gotten lucky and had to only wait twenty minutes before we loaded up on to one of coaches. I found myself between Tahu and Shasa.

"You know." I heard Kailani say from in front of us. "Two people were decapitated from this ride."

I saw Shasa's eyes grow wide at that and then we were off. Her shrieks of terror mixed with everyone else's' delighted ones.

I laughed delightedly, enjoying the wind whipping my hair around, knotting it and the coolness as is struck my skin.

The ride ended just as soon as it began. Shasa, who was still wide eyed, stumbled onto the cement on the exit side.

"Of course," Kailani said, checking her ponytail, "those two people were idiots that went into restricted areas where the ride's path was."

This caused most of us to laugh and Shasa to scowl. I caught Kai hiding a snicker behind her hands.

We rode several rides that way, Kailani telling us various facts about the rides and the fatal accidents. We cracked up at various reactions, thoroughly enjoying ourselves. And finally, we were allowed to relax and take a break for lunch.

Already, Takua, Nixie, and Kailani were planning what rides we would be going on for the rest of the day. Tahu, Nuhrii and Aft were getting our pizza slices and sodas with the help of anyone else who was willing to assist them.

I took Shasa and Kai by the hand and led them to the women's bathroom.

"Guys," I said, "you need to talk to the others more. Stop being so anti-social around them, they are all really nice. Tahu was kind enough to treat all of us to today."

"Gali, look we both love you and do not want to see you get hurt." Shasa said, running a hand through her hair. "But these guys, these _outfielders_, are hurting our relationship with one another. They are tearing our group apart!"

"They managed to get Hahli to speak for herself and fight back when the seagull took her straw." Which was quite a hilarious sight. A fifteen year old girl yelling at a bird with a brain the size of a pea to hand over her straw 'or else.' A lot of people had watched, amused at the new form of entertainment that she provided. Normally, she would have just let the seagull have it and done without a new one. But, seeing as how the gull was now absolutely terrified of her, the guy working the smoothie cart gave her a new straw and her money back.

And, what was most surprising, was that she did not blush or fumble over her words. She walked proudly into the line for the next ride, sucking the mix of strawberry, chocolate, banana, and ice.

Shasa shook her head, being difficult.

"Gali..." she said, trying to reason with me. We both knew that I was just as stubborn as she was, even more so if my mind was set to something, and my mind was set. We both knew that there was no changing my mind now but still she felt that she had to try.

"Shasa, please just enjoy the day." I said. "On Monday, you can go back to normal and forget all about today, if you want. Pretend that this day never happened."

Her jaw clamped tightly as she ground her teeth. She met my eyes, not faltering her gaze. Finally, she sighed, seeing that I would not give in.

"Fine." she said bitterly. "But do not come to me if this all blows up in your face."

She stormed off, leaving Kai to look between us, unsure if she should say something or if she should just leave. She finally turned and followed Shasa after a moment of debating.

I walked out of the bathroom and sighed, leaning against the outer wall.

"Trouble with the Queen?" a voice I recognized asked. I turned my head slightly to see Kopaka picking up trash that littered the ground, no pun intended.

"She is always like that." I answered. "And besides, she is just trying to look out for me."

"Sure about that?"

"Of course I..." I met his eyes and stopped. They were that startlingly cold blue that could literally freeze a person in their tracks. This was probably the only reason so many girls found him attractive. I found it annoying.

"Not sure." he said, stopping in front of me. He was tall, but not as tall as Tahu. "Be smart, Gali. Choose your true friends wisely."

"Hey." Tahu said, walking over. He nodded to Kopaka, who nodded back.

"Remember what we were talking about." Kopaka said before walking off.

"And what were you two talking about?" Tahu asked, raising a brow. I shrugged.

"Just saying hello and him telling me to choose my friends wisely. The normal stuff he tells me, really. Nothing for you to worry about." I said, heading back over to the table. Tahu followed behind. I knew that he was not fully convinced, but for right now, it would have to do.

**

* * *

**

Shasa started to talk to Kailani. Both were a little nervous and stiff at first, but then something between them clicked and they would not stop talking. In the beginning, none of us minded, but then after three hours of nonstop talking, it got annoying. Several times we groaned and told them to shut it. Eventually it got to the point where the two of them were goofing off, singing to the songs. And it stayed like that until we ran into Palegia and some other infielders.

"Shasa! Kai! Nixie! Hahli! Gali!" she cried upon seeing us in line. She started to trot over to us, and then she saw the others. A smirk played on her glossed lips, catching my eye. "So, the rumors are true."

"As if!" Shasa said, scowling at Kailani, earning a glower from the other. "We just happened to bump into each other here. Gali invited them to hang out with us."

I winced. She was putting the blame on me. Like always.

"Those rumors are true?" Palegia asked, now amused.

"Stop being a bitch." Tahu growled, earning a cackle for the infielder. Tahu grimaced.

"Well, whatever." Palegia turned and waved farewell. "Tah-ta!"

Things went back to the way they were at the beginning of the day, ending it exactly how it started.

**

* * *

**

I immersed myself in the hot water, letting it burn and ease my tense muscles. It was after eleven by the time I got home, leaving my friends and to greet the day's thoughts that had almost knocked me out.

I had decisions to make, tough ones. Friendship with those that understand the real me or friendship with those I have known my whole life. What felt right or what I wanted. Sincere laughter or forced smiles. Love or competition.

I frowned.

It was impossible to fall in love with someone in little over a week... right? I thought back to all of those books I read and I thought back to the story of Cupid and Psyche. It was kind of like the story of me and Tahu.

Cupid fell in love with Psyche after he was pricked by his own arrow. She fell in love with his spirit, rather than for his Godly charms. It was not until she saw him did she realize that she truly loved him and proved her love by doing three tasks for Venus. Of course, her own stupidity got her killed, but Cupid was there to save her in the end.

I remember what Nixie had said when we had first read that story for English in the ninth grade.

"Accidents happen," she explained, "that is why people fall in love."

I smiled. Fourteen days the love potion lasted. Fourteen days of love, like in February. You had fourteen days to fall in love and then fourteen days to celebrate it. Unless it was a leap year, then things got complicated.

Then, I frowned. Ten days had already passed. That left four more. Four days for Tahu to still love me. Four days before Tahu would never want to hang around me anymore. Four days before everything blew up in my face and Tahu hated me for the rest of his life.

I sunk lower in the bathwater, sinking with the feeling in my chest.

Maybe I should ask the twins to make me another potion to make sure Tahu stays in love with me.

* * *

**What is this that Gali is considering? She **_**wants **_**Tahu to be in love with her? What about Thok? Where the hell has he been? (Probably the library, oblivious to the chaos of Gali's love life.) Will Macku and Kotu make Gali another potion?**

**Okay, enough with the questions. And I am sorry to leave you guys at a cliffhanger, but you should be used to that by now.**

**Man, this chapter took me three hours to write, forty-fine minutes to correct, and ten minutes to edit. Oh well, it was done before my deadline, so I am okay!**


	11. Eleventh

**This was the plot twist chapter. So many things happened before I knew what was going on. I was like: "Since when was it like this?!" Everyone in my family that read it was like: "O.O Wow..." Anyway, be ready to be surprised!**

**By the way, it has been a long time since I have been to the Los Angeles Zoo. The last time I was there was when I still lived out in California, and that was when I was little.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle.**

* * *

**Fourteen Days**

**by luv addict**

**Eleventh**

**In Which Gali Cries**

"_**Then I'll see your face,  
I know I'm finally yours.  
I find everything I thought I lost before.  
You call my name;  
I come to you in pieces,  
So you can make me whole..."  
—Red, "Pieces"**_

Over a week has passed since Tahu drunk the love potion. I did not want this— what we had between us—to end. It was too special, too amazing, too wonderful. It was friendship, mostly, as I just realized how much I actually liked him, but it was still so perfect in every single way.

And then there was the whole Shasa issue. As infuriating as she was, she knew me well enough to know when I needed to be left alone. She had not even bothered to call for our usual hangout date. It was her way of saying that she cared.

I shook my head, jostling the brown bags full of groceries that I was carrying.

Being alone left me time to think, too much time in my opinion. I needed fun things to to with others. Fun, nonperverted things that did not give me time to think. Things like ice skating or going to an amusement park, not going grocery shopping.

I had to walk several blocks to get to e decent grocery store, seeing as I did not have a car. So, thus I was carrying two very heavy bags back to my home. Both bags were mostly filled with junk food and pop, covering my face so that I could not see where I was going.

I watched the ground that I could see, making sure that I was not going to step on anything too dangerous. The people— the ones that were out, that is— watched out for me. Except one person.

"Hey!" I cried when I was bumped into, loosing one of the bags. "Watch it."

"Sorry." the person grumbled, collecting the bag and its contents before it hit the ground.

I blinked. "Tahu?"

He looked at me and my breath caught it my throat. I tried to say something, something witty or logical or an appology, but nothing cam out of my mouth.

"Here," Tahu said, grabbing both bags, "let me help."

He balanced them skillfully in his arms and I followed him back to my house.

The whole way there, neither of us said a single thing. I could only fiddle with my fingers as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

He helped me to put the stuff away, never questioning my choice of chips or pop.

I finally managed to speak, after everything was away.

"Sorry." I managed to get out. "About yesterday, I mean. Well, and today. I could not see where I was going and... well, um—"

Tahu chuckled. It was a deep rumble that made my knees week and almost caused me to shiver. I did not like how he had this effect on me.

"It was not your fault." he said, slightly amused. "Come on, I will treat you to some ice cream."

I looked at the clock on the microwave and frowned. 11:43 A.M.

"But what about lunch?" I protested, jokingly. Loving the smirk that played on his lips.

"Screw lunch."

**

* * *

**

When normal people go out to get ice cream, they would normally go Dairy Queen or Ben and Jerry's or Baskin Robbins or even McDonald's. But Tahu had a different way of getting good, cheap ice cream. He went to the zoo.

We managed to get ice cream cheaper than three dollars, a whole lot of it in fact, and find a place to sit. It was a secluded area next to the avairy.

"Spill." Tahu ordered after we sat.

So I did. I told him everything from when I first met Macku and Kotu up until last week, before he drank the potion. I told him things that only Shasa knew— things that she had forgotten, being wrapped up in her own drama.

By the time I was finished, I had only had two licks of my ice cream, my hands had gotten sticky and my eyes were red and swollen from crying.

He sat through the whole thing, listening silently to every word, every sob, every painful memory. In the end, his shirt was smothered with chocolate from my ice cream and tears, which must have been very uncomfortable for him. But he did not seem to mind one bit.

He led me to a bathroom, allowing us both to clean up and look much more presentable for society.

I looked at myself in the mirror. There were chocolate smudges on my cheeks, that we red from the amount of heat that had been brought up while I was crying. My eyes, red and puffy from irritation and dryness, were still oddly wet and innocent looking. The hiccups caught in my throat came out in pitiful sobs, srunching my face and making me look even worse than I already did.

I stood there, leaning on the sink, watching my reflection blur and churn as more tears were brought forth.

I quickly spached water on my face, cooling the heated skin and washing away tears and chocolate.

When I looked back up, my cheeks were a flushed pink, more healthy looking than anything, and my eyes were still a little red but I looked much more presentable.

"You okay, honey?" a tall, blonde woman with a southern drawl asked as she peeked in and walked over to me. "Did you and your boyfriend break up or something?"

"No." I croaked, chaking my head. "Tahu would never... we were not even going out."

"Does he not like you or something? Because, if he does not, there are better guys out there?"

It was strange how a woman I did not know seemed to care about my well-being. Maybe Tahu sent her in to check on me and to see what was taking me so long.

"No, he..." I began. "Tahu likes me. We just... it is complicated."

"Alright, if you say so, honey." she said, patting me on the back and heading back out. "Oh, and by the way, your boyfriend is waiting for you outside."

I looked up at her in the mirror. She smiled softly at me and then left.

I quickly fixed my mussied up hair and walked out to find the woman gone and Tahu standing there with a cold water bottle. He held it out to me, his face unreadable.

His shirt was wet, but there was no more chocolate or tears. It just looked like I had playfully thrown water from a water bottle at him.

"Sorry about your shirt." I said timidly, twisting the bottle open. I carefully took a sip and then twisted the cap back on. Tahu put it in one of the many, large pockets in him pants.

He shrugged and we walked around, visiting various animals that intruigued us. It was all the same, familiar animals that I had seen here when I was younger, with one or two additions and subtractions.

"Dolphins." I said, pointing. It felt childish, but I have always loved the dolphins. I envied them for their grace and beauty in the water. I had taken several swimming classes over the years to try to be like them.

It was fairly crowded and loud. Children squealed in excitement, their parents not shushing them. People pushed and shoved as they waited to be let in. I was elbowed and stepped on several times.

Tahu, eventually tired of seeing people rudely bump and bruise me, wrapped an arm around my stomach, pulling my back into his chest. While is was supposed to be protective, it was rather embarrassing. Not embarrassing like a way a parent would embarrass their child, but more that I will faint if anyone says something about how cute we look together.

I hid my face beneath a curtain of hair, hoping no one would say anything and trying not to think about how hard and warm Tahu's chest was. My face was growing warmer by the second.

We slowly made our way up to the door, but we were told that the seating for the dolphin show was filled and that we would have to wait for the next one.

I leaned against the closed door and talked shyly with Tahu. It was about small things, like what the animals we had seen did while we watched and about things that either of us wanted to see still.

Someone bumped Tahu, knocking him against me. He was able to stop himself before I got hurt.

"Are you alright?" he asked in a low voice that made my knees weak. I nodded dumbly, not trust my voice. And it happened.

He lowered his head down to mine, and eventually his lips brushed my cheek and then my lips. It was a soft kiss, comforting and gentle. It was not forceful like other kisses I had received from guys before. Tahu would never force anything from me. I was lulled into a state of vulnerability.

It was not a perfect kiss, his lips were chapped and it was a tad sloppy, but it was what I needed, what I had craved for.

Then I realized what had happened. I had kissed Tahu. In a few days, the kiss will mean nothing to him and everything to me. We probably would never be like this again.

I pulled away, understanding now what Shasa was trying to protect me from, and I ran. I ran home. I knew that Tahu had called after me, but I had not stopped. I had seen the pain in his eyes when I pulled away. Shasa was right, she was always right.

She played her part as Aphrodite well in my twisted story of _Cupid and Psyche_, but I knew, that unlike their happy ending, mine was never to be. Psyche was going to die and stay dead. Cupid was not going to save her. She was not going to drink the ambrosia that saved her in the happily ever after.

I was sobbing, gasping for air, and wiping tears from my eyes when I picked up my cordless phone. I dialed Shasa's number and waited.

"Pick up." I pleaded. "Pick up. Pick up!"

"Hi, this is Shasa's cell. I am, like, not able to answer the phone right now, so please leave your name and number, and, um, I will try to call you back."

Damn, her voice mail.

I called her house phone.

"Hello?" she asked groggily. She had been drinking. I did not care.

"You knew." I seethed. "You knew the whole time. I bet you set Macku and Kotu up, and then sent Tahu over to drink the potion."

Her line was silent for several minutes, only increasing my anger towards her.

"I am sorry." she said quietly. "I only meant to help. I... I wanted to you have Thok, but... Tahu just happened to be there. He was an acident."

Lies. Lies! _Lies!_

"Gali belive me, I wanted you to be happy. I never meant for any of this to happen. You know how I feel about outfielders and you know I only want what is best for you. Please forgive me."

"There is nothing to forgive." I said. I looked down at my phone and clicked the 'end' button, hanging up.

Everything was all a set up. One of Shasa's schemes gone horribly wrong.

The phone rang several times. Shasa and Tahu were both calling, both were upset and wanted to talk to me. I did not want to talk to Shasa but I simply could not face Tahu for a while.

I unplugged all of the phones in the house and turned off my cell phone, and I got started on what little homework I had.

Halfway through, I got frustrated and went to look for a dictionary, or anything else that would help me with the impossible words.

I found the family dictionary in my older brother's room, burried under clothes and a few CDs. One CD, in particular, caught my eye. It had clouds and a waxing moon crescent. The band's name I recognized imediatly. Coheed and Cambria.

I brought it into my room, placed in in my CD player and pushed play.

* * *

**Yes, that is the end of this chapter. I did not decide to just stop halfway through the chapter and **

**Anyway, do not forget to review and listen to Flogging Molly. Until, tomorrow!**


	12. Twelfth

**My sister got me into _Full Metal Panic!_ Hot damn that anime is good. I did not think that I would like it but then it was like: "Huh, I am reminded of _Gundum_ and _Escaflowne_."**

**Anyone remember _Escaflowne_? It used to be on Saturdays for those early morning cartoons. I found the dubbed episodes somewhere. If you find them, watch them. Freaking goof show.**

**_Gundam_ has kind of gone downhill. It has been thirty freaking years since it first come out! The original _The Transformers_, in my opinion. It is still original and amazing, just not as interesting as it used to be. I think that it and _Pokémon_ need to take a few years off and then come back better than ever. Or just play reruns of the old episodes. Either way, I will be happy.**

**Huh, I grew up on mecha.**

**I will shut up now.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle.**

* * *

**Fourteen Days**

**by luv addict**

**Twelfth**

**In Which A Note Is Given**

**"_How stupid could I be?  
A simpleton could see  
That you're no good for me,  
But you're the only one I see..."  
—Sarah McLachlan, "Stupid"_**

My parents had returned home last night and found me listening to one of my brother's CDs. When they asked me why I had taken a sudden interest in rock music, I found myself fumbling for an explanation. There was really nothing I could say that would make them understand all that had happened while they were away. So, I told them that I was simply curious. They seemed happy with that answer.

I would never be able to tell them about Tahu or this whole mess. To them, this would just end up being one of my crazy delusions.

So, I was expecting someone— anyone, really— to come up and ask me what happened yesterday. When that someone did, I was glad it was Kailani.

"Hey." she said, sitting down next to me at lunch.

I sat alone, mainly because I needed to think, but mainly because I felt that I was not welcome anywhere. People looked through me, not at me like they used to. It was as if I was invisible. I guess that it is something that everyone always wants, never to be noticed. But when it does happen, it is frightening, especially for someone that is used to always being seen. I was glad Kailani looked at me, not through me.

"Hey." I greeted, nibbling on a ham sandwich.

"What happened yesterday?" she asked.

"Tahu and I... um, we bumped into each other and then went to the zoo..."

"Yeah, he told me that part, but what happened after?"

"After we... uh..."

"Yeah, after the kiss." she said the last part quietly, incase anyone happened to overhear. But nobody was listening anyway.

"I freaked. I mean, I realized that— Look it is a long story." I said, shaking my head.

"I have time."

I looked at her. She was patient and calmly waiting for me to start.

And out my story came. She never interrupted, just listened quietly. I did not know if she believed me or not until I finished.

"Macku and Kotu are weird," she said, "but they do know magic and spells and stuff better than anyone else I know."

"Huh?" I asked, blinking.

"They do magic and all that crap. I was interested back in junior high, but it never really carried over with me into high school. A lot of kids get into it but forget about it later on. I got bored with it and stopped casting spells. Most of them did not work anyway.

"Now what did they say they gave you? A love potion? Let me think." She bit her lip trying to remember what she learned in her awkward preteen age of life. "Ah, duh! It is simple. A love potion or spell only enhances feelings towards a person. So, if a spell is cast on someone or drinks a potion to make them fall in love with a person, they must already have feelings of strong like towards that person."

"So, Tahu already liked me before he drank the love potion?" I asked, more so to myself than Kailani but she answered anyway.

"That is correct!" She got up and started to leave, then stopped. "I would appologise or at least say 'hi' to him, he is kind of depressed and it is bringing everyone else down. Got it?"

"Got it." I answered with a half smile.

I finished lunch alone, which gave me time to think to myself. I probably would not see Tahu until after school. I will just have to text him.

I quickly whipped out my cell phone and typed:** Meet me after school?**

As I packed up my stuff when the bell rang, I received a text back.

_**Sure.**_ he replied. _**By the main entrance.**_

I smiled and left, heading to the rest of the day, trying to figure out what I was going to say.

Maybe things were going to be okay after all.

**

* * *

**

I waited for him outside by the main entrance for over twenty minutes. He did not show. His car was still in the parking lot (I could see it clearly), so he had not snuck out while I was not looking.

So, I went back into the school to search for him. I wandered aimlessly, really, listening for his voice, catch scent of the Old Spice original deodorant he wore, or a glimpse of his bright red hair.

I managed to catch all three as I passed a classroom in the science hallway.

"Thank you again for meeting me here." a familiar female voice said.

"No problem. I am glad I could help." I heard Tahu say. "I have to get going now, Gali is waiting for me."

"Not just yet!"

I peeked inside. There was Shasa leaning towards Tahu, who did not back away nor did he seem to mind at all.

She was kissing him.

That... that bitch!

I turned and stumbled over my own two feet and ran.

I heard Tahu call after me. (He noticed that I was there? That I saw?)

I left the school and just ran wherever my feet would take me.

I really should have been watching where I was going, because I bumped into someone and nearly knocked both of us down.

"Woah!" the person said, steadying us. "Watch where you are going, alright? What were you running from? Is there a fire somewhere?"

I looked up and nearly fainted.

"Thok Booker?" I managed to squeak out.

* * *

**Originally Tahu and Gali were going to make up in this chapter, but I thought that was a little cliché. But, I made Shasa and Tahu kiss instead. Gali is upset and runs away, and bumps into Thok (who, by the way, just said his first words in this whole fic!).**

**So, what will happen next? Only tomorrow can tell. **


	13. Thirteenth

**Sorry that it has been a while. I have been in and out of the hospital for one of my sister-in-laws. There was complications with her baby and she wanted someone she knew with her at all times. Since my boss is the most lenient, I got to spend a lot of time with her. We talked about a **_**lot**_** of stuff. Most of it I did not want to know.**

**Anyway. **

**Gosh, I have had so many plot twists these past few days, it is tiring me out! I cannot think of a logical reason for coming up with them. I guess they have always kind of been there, but just waiting to see if I would add them in... They kind of sound like my Aunt Mona on Thanksgiving. (shudder) Bad memories.**

**Again! A short chapter. Well, I guess that is what happens when you have been away for a while and had forgotten about everything but your unborn nephew who might die.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle.**

* * *

**Fourteen Days**

**by luv addict**

**Thirteenth**

**In Which Gali Reflect On Many Things**

"_**Closure has come to me, myself,  
You will never belong to has come to me, myself,  
You will never belong to me..."  
—Chevelle, "Closure"**_

In these two weeks, I have fallen in and out of love so easily, and now I am back to where I started. Well, sort of.

After I bumped into Thok yesterday, things changed. I completely ignored both infielders and outfielders in my school. I completely ignored Shasa and I completely ignored Tahu.

A lot of people were confused, but news spreads quickly around here. Gossip is our wildfire and we were the dry brush being eaten away by its flames. I was the talk of the day.

And I kind of liked it.

**

* * *

**

"... And the equilibrium will slowly balance." my teacher said, finishing her diagram on the board at the front of the class. "Any questions?"

_**We need to talk.**_ Tahu texted me halfway through the day. When I did not text him back, he sent another message. _**Gali, please, what you think you saw... Please, I need to talk to you about it. Meet me by the main entrance.**_

"Miss. Loubalu? Please put the phone away, I would hate to take it away from you." I flushed slightly at the snickers but did as I was told.

I never texted him back.

**

* * *

**

Thok and I met up at the library after school. He helped me with my homework and I helped him with a paper he had to do for one of his classes. I was rather dull, but it kept my mind away from other things.

It was during I break from the work that Lewa ran into me. Seriously, he ran _into_ me, sprawling us out on the floor.

I groaned and pushed him away.

"Watch where you are running." I moaned, trying to sound threatening to my cousin. It did not really work.

"Sorry-bad." he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Hey, Tahu really wants to speak-talk to you, by the way. Did you two have a wrong-quarrel or something?"

"Something like that."

I stood up and dusted myself off. Lewa shot up as Thok walked over to us.

"Speak-talk to you later, Gali-cousin." Lewa said, trotting off down the hall.

"What did you two talk about?" Thok asked, watching as my cousin ran to catch up or meet with someone.

"How the school should have gymnastics." I lied. "Lewa is really good on the bars."

"Come one, we still have a lot of work to do."

I followed him back into the library.

We stayed there for several more hours, finishing up next week's work. Thok drove me home afterwards.

As I was leaving his car (which was _much_ nicer than Tahu's), he called my name and pulled me back, his lips pressed against mine rather forcibly.

"Goodnight." he said, smiling. He looked eerie in the dim light.

"Night." I said, scrambling out of the car and closing the door.

He waited for me to open the front door before driving off.

**

* * *

**

My mind wandered as I waited for my hair to dry before changing into my pajamas.

I sniffed the air. My hair smelled of strawberries, but my sheets and comforter reeked. I would have to change them before I went to bed.

I would like to say I texted Tahu. I really, really, _really_ would, but I chickened out. How could I text him back after I had been such a bitch to him? What would I even say?

Would he even forgive me?

I groaned and flipped over onto my stomach, staring at the screen on my phone.

I felt as if I had betrayed Tahu by kissing Thok (which left me feeling disgusted with myself and wishing I had not even allowed him to drive me home). It was a rather forced kiss, unlike Tahu's which had been gentle and comforting.

My life felt like one of those stories that Hahli had shown me. What were they called? Fanfiction? Yeah, fanfiction.

My life felt like a fanfic and I was the distressing heroine caught up in something far greater than she actually knew.

If this were a fanfic, I thought, everything would turn out to be alright in the end.

Yet, I had a sinking feeling that everything was not going to be alright.

* * *

**Normally while typing up these chapters, I would listen to the song that kind of inspired the chapter in the first place. Instead, I was listening to t.A.T.u. (not to be confused with Tatu, an Australian band). I recently found the CDs— Russian and English— in my closet and burned them on my computer. I almost changed the song to "30 Minutes" but decided against it. **

**By the way, I am working on a sort of prequel to this. It will be called **_**The Days Before**_**. If there are things you want to be explained or expanded upon, let me know (review or pm). I already have some things planned (like Gali's friendship with the twins, Tahu's first crush and first heartbreak, the infielder girls at a slumber party and being frightened by the infielder boys, etc.).**

**I think there is at least two or three more chapters. It depends on how the next chapter goes. If what I want to happen happens in the next chapter, then there will only be two more chapters. If not, then three. I'm trying to keep things flowing at a nice speed (although this chapter went by fast).**


	14. Fourteenth

**So, there will be fifteen chapters. It was decided after I talked to my cousins, siblings, and friends. The ending was something I had planned on from the start, so I knew that after that ending, there would only be one more chapter.**

**The ending made me slightly uncomfortable to write (but it was pretty funny and awkward for the two guys who volunteered to act it out). **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle.**

* * *

**Fourteen Days**

**by luv addict**

**Fourteenth**

**In Which There Is Much Fear and Confusion**

**"_Why are some girls so naive?  
He didn't unbutton your blouse to see  
A better view of your heart,  
Oh yeah, can't blame you for trying..."_**

I asked my mom to call me in sick the next morning. I was not feeling good and I really did not know why. I _was_ running a fever, so my mom dismissed it as the common cold, which I was very thankful for.

So, I got to sleep in and just bum through the day. Hahli contacted me on Facebook, asking me where I was at. I told her and she sympathized.

And she told me that Tahu had been bugging her and Nixie all day, asking them where I was at and when I was going to show up so that he and I could straighten things out.

Shasa had dismissed even knowing me, going as far as to say "Gali Louba-who? Never heard of her. Is she in our class?" every time Tahu asked her.

There was also a fight between Nuhrii and an infielder from another school (what he was doing at our school, no one knows).

**Rumor says: "Bomb threat."** Hahli told me through the little chat.

**Ooo, like we do not get enough of those on a normal, daily basis.** I replied. **Really, you would think that people would know by now!**

**Gtg, teacher!**

And she signed off.

I chuckled and logged off Facebook. We would talk later.

So, I bummed around some more. The History Channel had something on the Little Ice Age. It was a rerun I had seen before, but it was entertaining enough.

At around three o'clock, the door bell rang. I contemplated over whether or not I should answer it. It rang again and it was decided for me.

I checked the peephole and saw Thok. Blinking in surprise and confusion, I opened the door.

"Hi." I said nervously, suddenly aware that i had not yet changed from my pajamas. He flashed a smile.

"Hi." he said back.

"Um... What are you doing here?"

"I heard that you were sick today and I came to see if you were alright. Are you?"

"Yeah, I just... I just needed the day off." I shuffled my feet.

"Ah, so you ditched."

"I guess you could call it that." I murmured, blushing. I stood there awkwardly before saying, "Want to come in for a little while? I could get dressed and we could go out and do something."

"Sounds good." he said, walking past me. He sat down on the couch and watched the television.

I closed the door and rushed upstairs. Most of my clothes were dirty (Note to self: Wash clothes tonight!) but I eventually found some jeans and a t-shirt that was clean enough. I sprayed both objects with Febreze and they smelled like they had just been washed. I added some body spray to tone down the scent of Febreze.

Thok was still downstairs in the same position, lounging on the couch watching the History Channel.

He drove us to a little Chinese place not far from my home. I have found memories of that place. My family and I used to go there every Friday. That was before my dad got promoted and everything changed. I only go there now if I do not feel like cooking.

Without realizing it, I had ordered beef stir fry, steamed rice, and spring rolls. It was the same meal I had made for Tahu nine... ten days ago.

"Is something wrong?" Thok asked.

"No." I said, shaking my head, trying to shake out all thoughts of Tahu and my memories of him.

I ate the food, not really feeling its warmth of enjoying the taste. It half filled the emptiness inside of me.

Thok and I made small talk, nothing big or anything. But, even with it, the whole thing was awkward.

It was dark out by the time we left.

I was not really paying attention to where he was taking us, but I did notice when we stopped. He had parked in a spot near the park.

"Wha—" I started to ask. His mouth covered mine, stopping any words from coming out. I went to try and push him off, but found that he had pinned my wrists together with one of his hands. His other hands was traveling up my top, to a place that has never been touched by anyone else but myself when I was changing.

I started to panic. He was older and much stronger than I was. I tried to kick him, but found my legs were made of jelly. I felt my eyes grow hot and tear up. I did not care if I cried.

I was going to be raped in Thok's car. No one would be any the wiser.

I had not left a note or called anyone to let them know where I would be and who I would be with.

I was in trouble.

"_**Roses, roses cold  
Rose, roses sold out..."  
—Meg & Dia, "Roses"**_

* * *

**Oh no! Gali is in trouble! Will anyone come to save her? Will she be raped? Will more questions be answered?**

**Yeah, all the questions will be answered, including some that people have been wondering about for a while now.**

**So these are the ideas for the prequel, **_**The Days Before**_**:**

**1. Gali's friendship with the twins**

**2. How Kopaka fits into the story **

**3. Tahu's first crush and heartbreak**

**4. A slumber party**

**5. Onua's day off**

**6. Pohatu's devious plan**

**7. Lewa the Eavesdropper**

**8. An awkward JallerHahli moment**

**9. Gali's daydreams**

**10. Why everyone is afraid of the twins**

**Most of these are comedic. My cousin and I came up with how Kopaka fist into all of this. I was iffy about it when we first came up with it, now it is just hysterical. It is honestly something you would not expect from him. (Nightshroud19, you will be pleased.)**

**So, if there is anything else you need to be explained, let me know and I will try to do it.**

**I do have a little sequel planned. It will be on the Halloween Masquerade (a request made by my cousin). It is cute and very funny. A lot of fluff and surprises.**

**Do not miss the last chapter! I will try to get it up tomorrow or Sunday. It continues where this chapter leaves off.**


	15. Fifteenth

**The final chapter. A lot of things are tied up, somethings are left hanging, but I did that on purpose.**

**Now I can start working on **_**Journey to Serendipity**_** (finally).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle.**

* * *

**Fourteen Days**

**by luv addict**

**Fifteenth**

**In Which There Is Comfort**

"_**Always said I would know where to find love,  
Always thought I'd be ready and strong enough,  
But some times I just felt I could give up.  
But you came and changed my whole world now,  
I'm somewhere I've never been before.  
Now I see, what love means..."  
— Craig David, "Unbelievable"**_

I closed my eyes, waiting for it to end.

And I did not have long to wait.

Someone bashed in the driver's window and unlocked the doors. They opened the door and pulled him off me.

Another person opened the passenger's door and pulled me out and into a big, warm chest. I did not know who it was, but I was thankful. Weak-kneed and relieved, I cried into that chest. The person held my and uttered comforting things.

I was able to gain control of myself by the time the cops came. I looked up into the person's face and saw the reassuring face of Tahu Veres.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly. I nodded, rubbing my face against the worn, but soft, shirt he wore.

"How did you manage to find me?" I croaked.

"Kailani saw you leave your house with Ass-face over there and she texted me to let me know she was going to follow you."

"You have spies that are watching me?"

"No, she wanted to talk to you, since you would not talk to me."

"Sorry about that."

"It is okay."

He pulled me over to a bench and sat down. He gently tugged me onto his lap.

"Macku and Kotu told me about the potion." he said. I winced.

"Are... are you mad?" I asked timidly.

"Not really, no. I mean, I do like you. I kind of always have. But I figured, 'why would a nice, good girl like Gali, go out with a no good, trouble maker like me?' So, I went after the next best thing, Shasa. I asked her out freshman year and then she figured I still had feelings for her, which is why she kissed me, but I saw your reflection and... Look, Gali, I really, _really_ like you."

"I figured that out. But why not ask me freshman year? I would have told you that I already had plans but I would have saved one dance for you."

"And that is exactly _why_ I thought I did not deserve any attention from you. You care about everyone's feelings. Besides, it was a mistake."

"And we all make mistakes."

He smiled and peck a kiss on my forehead.

We all got interviewed by the cops. It did not take long, an hour at the most. So, when all was said and done, I found myself in Tahu's car, leaning half asleep on her shoulder.

"We are at you house." he said quietly, shaking me.

"Thank you." I yawned.

"Gali..."

"Tahu, I really mean it. Thank you." I opened the door.

"Do you want to go out with me?" he said quickly.

I sat there, the door open, half out, for a minute or two.

"What?" I asked, confused. He sighed.

"Do you want to go out with me?" he asked slower. "I mean, as in us, actually... dating."

"Dating?"

"Yeah."

I sat there for a second, mulling it over. I did not really have to think much. already knew my answer.

"Will you let me, think it over for a little bit?"

"Y-yeah."

I sat there for a second before kissing him on the cheek.

"I thought it over."

"So... will you?"

I smiled, causing his cheeks to flush a little. He understood.

"Pick me up before school tomorrow?" I asked.

"See you then." he said, beaming.

I walked up the stairs to the door and opened it. I took out my cell phone and started to text. I could not wait until tomorrow morning.

_**Fin.**_

* * *

**Yeah, happy ending! I felt that it was a little rushed and I could have spent a little while longer on it, but it had to get done and out for everyone to read.**

**The song for this chapter changed several times over the course of writing it. I eventually settled on "Unbelievable" by Craig David because it just seemed to fit.**

**So, just a little more than two weeks until the prequel **_**The Days Before **_**is posted.**


End file.
